


Gold Dust

by FableButt



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: D.R.O.P AU, Dragon Murder, Gay crisis, Injury, Keith also is in denial about Lance's eyes, Keith pines a lot, Like.... super slow, M/M, Minor Character Death, Murder, NB Pidge but only like Lance and Hunk respect their pronouns at first, Onesided Splashes of Shiro/Keith, Pern au, Slow Burn, Social Outcast, Society Against You, Tags will be added as requested and needed, Violence, all the lions are dragons now, backwards societies, dragon on dragon violence, dragon rider au, dragon riders of pern au, hate to friendship to love, help him, just know that when the dragons wanna bang it out their riders wanna bang it out too, mind link connections with dragons, the castle is a dragon now too i guess, which is #important
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-09
Updated: 2017-01-24
Packaged: 2018-08-07 16:12:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 43,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7721338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FableButt/pseuds/FableButt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It has always been Lance's dream since he was a young child to ride high on a dragon.  When his chance comes, it's not as he expected or dreamed.</p>
<p>Keith only wanted to rise from his place in life, a poor drudge destined to die cold and alone.  The dragons give him a second chance, but then Lance, a boy he barely remembers, Impresses and his life is turned upside down.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> DROP as a series is complex as hell. I love the series, but it is, and anyone who tries to lie and say that it isn't is just being rude. Its a great series, though, and I would 1000000% recommend you give the books a read sometime, if you're into that kind of thing. The series has been out for almost 50 years, and there's like a billion books. As a 'veteran' reader of them and if you're interested but not sure where to start, I suggest Dragonflight as a staring. If you're looking for something a little less dense, but still great, read Dragonsong, Dragonsinger, and Dragondrums. Dragonsong was actually my first, and I read the next two in the series years ago before I realized it was a whole, large series. Then I reread them again when I had the chance to read the series as a whole (thank you based Kindle app).
> 
> Anyway, I don't want this 'beginning note' to get too long, but I thought I should mention a few things, in light of just how much the books cover. This doesn't fit the canon of Pern to a T, but I'm still holding true with a lot of things. Granted, I'm also changing one very... big thing, but that'll just have to happen. c: I'm not going to specify a certain 'Pass' this would take place in, but if you've never read them that doesn't really matter. (Which, you don't have to read the books to read this!) 
> 
> The most important for this, is that there are a _lot_ of terms and it can be very... confusing. You can also read about them in [this glossary](http://pern.wikia.com/wiki/Glossary) if you want. Some of them are self explanatory, but I figured it was better to have them somewhere.
> 
> I feel SUPER pretentious and kind of like... a dick listing all this info and all this WORD VOMIT but I'm also, like, kind of super excited and really nervous? Idk its a weird feeling man. Just enjoy these two awkward boys being Gay and Confused its all I want in life s o b

Lance always knew he hated Keith. He knew as soon as he was chosen as a Candidate almost three turns ago that he hated him. The dark haired boy just had something about him that set Lance off. Always perfect, always being doted on by Shiro, always the best in their classes and just amazing. The girls adored him and he had this mysterious aura that pulled people in; made them enraptured by him even while he pushed them away.

Lance knew that Keith was the person to beat. He had had just the way to do it, too. At their first Hatching, the large egg right in the middle of the clutching sands was his ticket out. His ticket to greatness. It was the largest of this clutch, no doubt a powerful Bronze inside. The dark skinned boy had taken time to stroke it gently every time they were allowed to Touch, to try and coax the dragonet inside to want him and him alone.

There were sixteen eggs on the sand that clutch, and at least twenty five Candidates. Lance was ready to leave Keith behind and join the glory of the riders; really rub it in who was better. Then the egg had hatched, along with all the others, and Lance found himself left on his own.

The egg _had_ contained a Bronze dragon indeed. He was beautiful and so brightly colored that he was almost shimmering red in the subdued light of the cavern. Lance's heart soared until he went straight for Keith.

The feeling of betrayal and jealously burned in Lance's gut, and he hated it, and he hated Keith. Even as turns passed, when he happened to catch a glimpse of the dark haired man atop Palgan it made rage boil in his gut. He hated Keith. He hated him more than anything.

Things changed around Lance as time passed, making his life worse and worse. At least, he felt it did. He was never popular by any means, and the competitive nature of both himself and Candidate-hood really closed him off from others. The Weyrwoman died right as her mighty and elder Gold clutched. The poor beast only hung on until the Hatching was over before going between. It was an ordeal talked about for months after with an emptiness left behind by her departure.

At least his best friend Hunk had Impressed a Brown at that Hatching. It was sad to see the larger boy go, but Lance was too happy for him to be upset. It was just a shame that he was left standing on the sands, once again. All he had left now was Pidge, who he rarely got to spend any time with. Being in the female wing, preparing for the birth of Golds. No one wanted a pregnant Candidate, and even if that was the last thing on Lance's mind with the much younger 'Katie', he could understand why safety was an issue. I was just a shame that no one except him would call them Pidge as they requested.

Goldrider Allura rose to power as Weyrwoman when her mighty Gadh took Flight. Shiro's Bronze Buraku rose to meet her, making him Weyrleader. Many were upset by this, since both were so young, but Lance had hardly cared. Gadh's Flight, the next Hatching, would be his last. He was getting too old, had been passed up by too many dragons too many times for him to ever be a Rider. It left a pang of bitterness in his mouth.

Many sleepless nights were spent wondering what would become of him. Of course Lance could always stay in the Weyr, they would not simply just kick him out, but would life as little more than a glorified drudge really be any life at all? He could always return back home, to his seaside Hold. He was sure than the Lord Holder could always use another hand to help fish out on the rough seas, but would that really make Lance happy? Hadn't he been chosen to escape that life when he was picked to become a Candidate all those turns ago?

Time passed even if Lance didn't want it too. When Gadh clutched it was mighty. The previous Gold, older, would usually only lay between fifteen and twenty eggs. Gadh had laid at least forty. It was hard to count them since she wouldn't let anyone except for Allura close. However, even from a distance you could see the Gold egg sitting proudly in the middle of the circle. A Gold hadn't been hatched at the Weyr since before Lance was made a Candidate.

"Are you excited?" Lance had managed to ask Pidge one day during dinner. It was the rare time he got to talk to them. Pidge had frowned into their Klah and shook their head, fluffy hair bouncing as they did.

"I don't want a stupid Gold. Then I'll be stuck with some stupid man who thinks he owns me." Lance couldn't help quirking him lips up at such treasonous talk. Pidge wanted to be a Bronze rider like their father and brother before them, who had both fallen during the last Pass. Even if it was over now, the Red Star safely away from them, the scars both mental and physical still remained. Lance thought that if anyone could Impress a Bronze and still be female, or whatever Pidge said they were, it was them. He just knew in his heart of hearts that Pidge wasn't any more likely to do so than he would be to Impress the Gold sitting on the sands. It just didn't happen that way. High ranking dragons were much too biased on the sex of their riders. Pidge might walk away with a Green, if they were lucky, but not a Bronze.

Either way, Pidge knew better than to ask if Lance was excited. He was, really, but the blue eyed man knew that if he didn't Impress that his life would be over as he knew it. Of course he would be his boisterous self if asked, he couldn't not be, but Pidge didn't want to see how his words wouldn't quite reach his eyes or how he would try hard to change the subject. They could be mean with their bluntness sometimes, but they weren't cruel.

They continued their meal exchanging gossip and light conversation until it was time to return to chores. Lance didn't see Pidge much after that, and even then it was only from afar. It wasn't often that Gold eggs were laid and the small band of female Candidates had to be even more prepared than the boys. It was very lonely.

It was the middle of the night when the dragon's sounded, humming loud. Lance could barely get his clothes on fast enough, the pristine white robes hanging over his scrawny body for the last time. Lance moved with the other boys, taking tunnels and stairs from their dorms to the sands. The stands were packed, more full than Lance had ever saw them before. This was a special event since Gadh had never clutched before.

Keith was up top with the rest of the riders. Usually he was absent from such events and seeing him made Lance suck in a sharp breath. Hunk was up there too, at least, and it was easier to focus on the encouraging face of his best friend than it was on Keith. Still, his eyes would occasionally drift over to the Bronze rider. He was sitting next to Shiro, the two sharing conversation. A smile barely played on Keith's lips that infuriated Lance, his hands twisting at his sides.

Then the humming stopped, and the first egg cracked. A little Blue, crying and hungry. One of the younger Candidates broke line and hugged the fledgling dragonet before leading her off to feed her a fine meal. Lance felt cold as egg after egg hatched, Greens and Blues and Browns and even the rare Bronze, but none of them reached out to him. None of them wanted _him_. Finally, there were ten of them left on the sands and one egg. That was not counting the girls or the Gold who hadn't even bothered to rock yet; taking her own sweet time as most Golds did.

The last egg cracked, a Bronze tumbled out, green veined in his wings. He shook himself carefully and Lance begged quietly: _'please, please be mine. please don't make me be a failure again.'_

No one moved, then Pidge shrieked, a loud and sudden thing, and tore down from around the Gold egg where they had been placed. Rumbles of disquiet and even rage started from the stands, the whole system having just been turned on it's head. Lance sighed, softly, and let his eyes drift up to the riders. Keith was looking down, at Pidge and their 'Xanh' as they had called, brow raised. Of course Keith had to be here for his grand failure and then not even care about it. If Lance had less control of himself he might have started to cry right there on the sands. He could do that later when he was by himself and thinking of how his life had been a series of disappointments one after the other.

So Lance held on, clenched his fists so tight his knuckles popped and hurt, and refused to meet the pitying gaze of Hunk from the stands. They couldn't leave until the Gold egg hatched.

It took time, almost long enough for the crowd to grow restless. Lance heard a few mumblings of people thinking it was a dud. Then the massive egg rocked, once, hard enough to tip it over and onto it's side. One of the girl's yelped, undignified, as she hopped out of the way to avoid being crushed. The egg shook that way, on it's side, for a long time before hairline cracks started on the tip. Finally, a golden muzzle poked out causing the splintered shell to collapse inwards and free the gold dragonet inside.

She tumbled out and she was beautiful just as all Gold's were. Almost as big as Lance was despite being so young. Her scales were bright but her belly had the slightest swirls of blue if you stared closely. She shook a bit of shell off her wing then gave a large yawn. Everyone was quiet as she looked over the girls, then turned her back to all of them. The crowd gasped. Would this be a Stands Impression? Lance had never seen one himself but had heard of them. Apparently it was how Buraku chose Shiro but that had happened when Lance was still with his family back at his Hold.

_Mine, I am really very hungry. Please stop hiding from me._

Lance's face twisted up at the sudden, intrusive, and very _not his own_ thought. It sounded delicate and feminine, with a small growling undertone like the purring of a cat. The Gold took a few shaky steps away from the girls, coming towards the boys- towards himself. Surely, just to the stands. The stands were behind them. That had to be it. Lance's mind was racing. He took a step back, eyes wide.

_Oh! There you are, Mine!_

That girly voice spoke again, ringing in his ears. The Gold took more steps for them, and Lance stepped out of the way with a few of the other boy's, making room for her to move where she pleased. Only she changed her course, moving from the stands and going to _him_. Lance stood stock still as the Gold came to a stop in front of him. She blinked up at him, her eyes awash in rainbow as she Impressed to him.

"S-shards." He muttered, under his breath, kneeling down just enough to wrap his arms around her. She was warm, and mildly sticky from the egg, but still soft like good leather under his finger. He felt warm, and giddy, because he had Impressed. _He had Impressed_.

 _My name is Asul, Mine! Don't you forget it!_ Then she hummed in his mind, low and comforting. _I'm sorry it took me so long, Mine. But, can we please go eat now? I'm starving!_

It was quiet enough that you could have heard a pin drop but Lance hadn't noticed. At least, he didn't notice until it was so loud he couldn't hear himself think. Pidge Impressing a Bronze had been.... an issue. An issue that would no doubt come up later but Pidge was smart enough to deal with any backlash and come out on top. Lance knew they were. He respected them even if they were turns younger.

This, however, was a whole other can of worms entirely.

Holders and even some riders were yelling, screaming in outrage. How _dare_ this Gold Impress a man! They wouldn't stand for this, they wouldn't send food or support unless this was dealt with. Lance felt scared but also protective of Asul. She must have felt the same way, because she stood tall and stretched out her wings, giving a sharp hiss and showing her teeth as if she would fight to defend him. The feeling made Lance feel better, because he knew that was exactly what she would do, but he kept the warm smile off his face at her affection and love.

"Enough!" Allura had risen from her seat, Shiro beside her. Lance looked up and could see the bewilderment on her face, but she stood firm. He could see it on all their faces. Allura started to give an impassioned speech, one about how the dragons never chose wrong and they knew what they wanted. Lance didn't hear any of it. He had caught Keith's eyes, staring down at him harshly.

Hunk, who had somehow made it down to the sands, grabbed his arms and shocked Lance to look away from that piercing gaze. His friend led him away and with the other new riders who had Impressed, Asul on his heels. Most of them were too busy to care, feeding or grooming their new dragons, but some of the older ones looked judgmentally at Lance as he walked by. Only Pidge seemed happy for him, but they were more preoccupied with the mewling Bronze threatening to push them down for feeding to slow.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith's turn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know i didn't do the whole " 'th" name thing, but i'm really bad at that. sorry.
> 
> i also didn't mention last chapter, and i'm not sure how clear it is, but shiro is around 25, lance is 19, keith/hunk are 18, and pidge is 14. allura's around 23.
> 
> and i'm so excited about all the comments and stuff i've already gotten! i hope you guys keep enjoying this, cause i've been enjoying writing it!

For as long as Keith could remember, he had always been considered worthless. A nothing, the son of a drudge who was destined to die in squalor, like she had, with an absentee father he would never know. Keith had been taught to scrub at the grime and grit that collected in his Hold before he knew how to even speak. Days ran together, a childhood full of hard labor that strengthened his body. Only hunger and poor conditions kept his raging spirit in check.

Keith was not the largest, and he was not the strongest, but he still fought for all he had. Which, honestly, wasn't a lot. He always felt like he was meant for something better, but was smart enough to know to keep that opinion to himself. Lord Holder Zarkon didn't like when his drudges got ideas in their head. Especially when those drudges looked suspiciously like himself, or like one of his many legitimate children that wandered around his land.

It was by accident that Keith was chosen to be a Candidate at all. The Watchdragon sounded and the bitter boy had been in the dining hall, under a table, scrubbing the floors with a cloth much nicer than the rags he had on. He had stilled when the heavy doors opened a few minutes later, heard Zarkon arguing with someone.

"I tell you, I have shown you all the worthy children in my Hold. Your dragon must be confused."

Whoever it was didn't like that, snorting dismissively at the statement. Keith dared to peek out from his hiding place, looking through his ratty mess of hair just so he could see the look of outrage on Zarkon's face. That man's misery secretly gave Keith pleasure, even if it would be the lowly like himself who paid for it later.

"The dragons know what they want, and what they want is a Candidate from here. Buraku said he's around this area, so..." The larger man, a dragonrider, caught sight of Keith. Their eyes met, and Keith gasped sharply before pulling his head back under the table. The man had been bulky, thick with muscles. His hair was sheered short, but a puff of black hair sat at the front of his head. Keith wasn't very privy to a lot of information or gossip, but even a socially inept child like him knew a dragonrider when he saw one.

Footsteps approached slowly, and a chair was pulled back from the table. Keith's breath hitched, then a face filled the void the seat had left. It was the man, the Bronzerider, smiling back at Keith the sweetest that anyone had ever bothered to look at him before. All it took was a small wave of his arm to coax Keith out. He stood, unsure, next to the dragonrider, angling his body away from Zarkon. At least he wouldn't get punished with the rider here. At least he had that.

"What? _That_ one?" Zarkon was enraged, his wrinkled face almost turning purple in his anger. "He's nothing! You would pass over my children for this worthless child?!"

"He's not worthless." The dragonrider's tone was almost flippant. It was no secret that the Galra Hold wasn't the most favored of the Voltron Weyr and vice versa. He seemed to dismiss Zarkon, which made the veins stand out on the Holder's forehead, instead turning his attention back to Keith. "My name is Shiro. What's yours?"

"Keith." He didn't hesitate, didn't stumble over his words like he feared he would. Shiro smiled down at him again, that sweet smile that made something strange flutter in Keith's stomach.

"Keith, I would like to formally invite you to come to the Voltron Weyr with me, to be a Candidate. Do you accept?"

"Yes." Zarkon was still angry, followed them all the way back to Buraku with barely contained insults on his tongue, knowing he was powerless to argue. If he refused to allow Keith to go, the Weyr might take it as insult. During Threadfall it was important to keep in their favor. Keith found he didn't care much about Galra Hold or Zarkon or much else as soon as he was on top of the massive Bronze, clinging tight around Shiro's middle. Even the cold bite of Between couldn't stop the warmth growing in his chest.

Shiro was a good man, and took pity on the thin child he had more or less saved from that Hold. Keith was a Candidate, yes, but Shiro wanted to make sure he was ready, brought up to speed with the other boys. He was bathed, his mess of a hair trimmed to something more manageable, his clothes changed to something nicer. Shiro poured affection and kindness over the poor boy, filling up the empty holes from a life much too hard for someone his age.

In return, Keith grew, he pushed himself, studied harder than he needed to to so he could read and write and make Shiro proud. He wanted more than anything to make Shiro happy.

It was three turns before Keith was treated as a Candidate, almost fifteen turns old (by what anyone could guess). He was thrust into the bunks with the other boys, no longer the stick he had been before and just as capable as any of the rest. Or, more capable as he soon discovered. By his own perseverance and dedication, he excelled at many of the Candidate chores, lessons and duties. He also didn;t turn up his nose at the nasty jobs, having faced worse during his time as a drudge.

The only thing Keith didn't excel at was making friends, or being social in general. He was often oblivious when girls would approach him, or would push people away who tried to get close. The only person he needed was Shiro. That was the only person who mattered to him.

Keith's first Hatching was his last. Feisty and spitfire Palgan made sure of that, latching onto the dark haired boy's mind as soon as he hatched. Keith had never been happier, except for maybe the day that Shiro found him, and he was ecstatic when the older man had patted him on the shoulder in pride.

Then the old Weyrwoman had died, and Allura's Gold Gadh was the first to take Flight at the Altea Weyr up north. As was customary, the Bronzes from Voltron Chased Gadh, and it was Shiro's own Buraku who Caught the queen. Keith was happy for his friend, but he also felt a weird hollowness open in his chest again when he saw how happy Shiro and Allura were together later. He tried to ignore it.

Then came the day of the Hatching, just a few months later. Gadh was a proud and fierce mother, but that was to be expected when a Gold was on the sands. The whole thing was treated as more of a party than a proper hatching. A new Weyrwoman's first clutch was always important, and this was the first time that a Gold had been laid in many turns. It was a very important time in the Weyr's history.

"A cause for celebration." Shiro patted Keith on the shoulder, smiling down at the younger man. The dark haired man nodded, glancing back at Shiro fondly. Thread had badly scarred his right arm a few years ago, but it still worked well enough. The shock of the event to his system also made his hair grow white in places, and a long scar was on the bridge of Shiro's nose. If you asked Keith, and probably Allura too, it just made Shiro more handsome than before.

"Any bets on who will get what?" Keith sat down next to Shiro's seat, staring out at the Candidates filing in the large cavern. His eyes lingered over one older boy, dark skinned with the brightest blue eyes that Keith had cared to notice. He could, very vaguely, remember seeing that one when he had been a Candidate. He didn't remember his name, just a few sharp words they had exchanged once or twice, or occasionally catching withering glares from the boy. Keith looked back to Shiro and secretly hoped that he wouldn't Impress.

_Don't be mean._ Palgan chided in his mind suddenly. He seemed to chuckle deeply then, a rattle in Keith's head that matched the whistling tenor his dragon had. Keith soothed his dragon with playful jabs, something he only dared do with the Bronze and where no one else could hear.

"Well," Shiro pulled Keith from his own mind, from Palgan, continuing their conversation. "There are a lot of good Candidates. Its a shame they all can't Impress." Shiro sounded so diplomatic, so sure as he always did. Keith snorted and nudged his arm lightly, earning himself a soft laugh from the older man. Allura had sat down, and she quickly pulled Shiro's attention away. Their heads bent together naturally as the pair whispered back and forth, Allura seeming serious and anxious.

The eggs had started hatching, hatchlings running to meet their life partner. Keith felt a little wistful, as he always did when he attended these things, thinking back on his own Impression of Palgan. The dragon hummed in his head, showing he was paying attention, but seemed distracted.

When a Bronze Impressed to a girl, Keith watched closely. He didn't care about such things, not really, since the dragons knew more than humans what they wanted. It was only when the Gold egg started shaking that a cold chill went down Keith's spine, a feeling that had leeched from Palgan so intense he felt it himself.

_Oh._ Keith's eyes snapped wide, as everyone else's did, as the Gold dragonet chased the gangly man from earlier around the sands. He didn't seem to quite get it, that this dragon wanted to Impress him, until she cornered him. The boy hugged her, and all was quiet. Keith tore his eyes away and looked around the room, to the stands, where the more conservative Lord Holders and Craftsmen were at. He saw the anger morph on their faces one by one, even copied by some of the other rider's. _Oh oh oh._

Keith looked down again, his eyes catching vibrant blue ones. He felt entranced, for just a moment, the feeling of panic morphing his face into something ugly as he stared down at the other man. The man just stared back, wide eyed and _scared_ , until another rider physically removed him, made him move away. It was.... Hunk. A brownrider.

_Melyn's._ Palgan tried to supply, but Keith was too far gone. Allura and Shiro had been speaking, but another flare from his dragon sent his head reeling, made him turn by his heel and stomp off. _I want to meet her._ Anxiety still crept into the Bronze's 'voice', but he was genuine at least. As he moved down the stairs, Keith glanced up and saw a large dragon hop from it's perch far above, where the Queen was guarding with Buraku, knew it was Palgan. He shimmered red in the light, more vibrant than even when he had hatched. It looked like he was heading towards the feeding grounds, where all the new dragons would be fed until they could barely move by doting new riders.

Keith grumbled, but followed on foot, not caring as he shoved past a few people to get to Palgan.

When Keith arrived, Palgan and a few other curious Bronzes and Browns were already surrounding the little queen. She was stuffed full, head nuzzling against her new rider's chest. He looked almost in pain. The blue eyed man looked like he was happy, but also like he was being stabbed with a knife at the same time. The brownrider, Hunk, was rubbing his back and trying to calm him down. Blue Eyes sniffled, and started to cry, loud blubbering that he muffled by burying his face in the Gold's neck. She hissed, as she had on the sand, warning off Hunk with a sharp snap of razor teeth.

A large shadow passed overhead, warning off all the dragons surrounding the odd duo. The only ones brazen enough to stay behind were Palgan and the brown Melyn, but the two did flinch. It was Gadh, Allura on her back. The Queen landed not far from the boy, the rider hopping off her dragon and stomping for him with a fury that Keith was glad not the be on the receiving end of. Buraku and Shiro followed soon after Gadh landed.

Allura looked ready to tear someone apart, and Keith didn't want to be around for that. He backed away, ushering Palgan close, so he could return to his quarters. The Bronze was by him in an instant, and Keith fell into the familiar grooves of his back as the dragon lurched upwards, taking flight. He tried not to think of those bright blue eyes and how they had stared at him, or remember the biting comments made when there were both younger.

When he returned to his room, Keith flopped down hard on his bed, not bothering to remove his shoes or riding gear. This was too much, some debacle that could potentially damage Shiro's reputation as Weyrleader if he wasn't careful. Reality was sinking in, as well as acceptance. It was easier for him, of course, since he had Palgan whispering in the back of his mind about how only dragons knew what dragons wanted. Keith wondered if any of the dragonriders upset by the Gold's choice were being scolded by their dragons right now.

_Her name is Asul._ The name was whispered in his head almost fondly, and Keith groaned. Bronzes were known to try and stake claims early on, especially with Golds. He wouldn't be surprised if some of the other Bronzeriders, Shiro excluded, would be extra aggressive with Keith for the next few days, and him with them. He wondered how the other Bronzeriders would take their dragons wanted to bond with a Gold who was looked upon by a man.

_Asul's is Lance._ As helpful as Palgan was trying to be, Keith just felt annoyed. His dragon tutted softly in his mind, giving a knowing hum. The name repeated a few times, his mind testing it out. Keith licked his chapped lips as a pang of dread filled his stomach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> maybe next chapter they will actually speak :3c


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance and Keith don't get along.

Allura was the second most intimidating person that Lance had ever met; the title of first going to his mother back home. She was tall, taller than him, with perfect posture. She was also statuesque, with one of the most perfect and beautiful builds that the new rider had ever seen. Lance, and half of the men on Pern he figured, were more than a little jealous of Shiro for sharing a bed with her.

Any dreams Lance had once had of his own Bronze Catching her Queen were long gone, for multiple reasons. One, she was standing before him looking like she was ready to choke him. Two, he was currently bonded to his own Gold who wouldn't ever be doing any Catching of any sort.

"So, your name is...." Her face scrunched up for a moment, head tilted to the side as if listening. Lance recognized the gesture, as a few riders did it from time to time. She was listening to Gadh, who was a little ways away and watching closely. Lance absently stroked Asul's head, the much smaller Gold asleep and content in his lap. "Lance. Well, Lance, do you have any idea what you've done?"

"Messed up everything?" He had caught a few snippets of what the Lord Holders were threatening, brazen now that Threadfall was over. They acted as if it had been longer than two turns since it ended, as if many brave riders hadn't perished to keep them safe.

To Lance's surprise, her expression softened. She didn't look ready to kill him, but she looked tired now. She gave a soft sigh, as Shiro approached, his own Bronze landing not long after Gadh had. Lance glanced around for the other, curious Bronze who had been sniffing around with Hunk's Brown, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"No, you've changed everything, but you've not messed up." Allura knelt down to his level, since he was sitting with a dragonet in his lap, and placed her hand over his own. "You have done something new and amazing! Others are just scared of your progress." She seemed almost smug, pleased, as she said this. Genuine praise was something Lance rarely heard, and he felt his cheeks warm from her words.

"Come. You'll be in the Queen's wing with me. We should get your new chambers cleaned out, and you need lessons on how to deal with a young Gold. Lessons only I can give." Allura stood again, and Shiro laughed softly at her words. Lance knew very well that others could teach him, but she must have wanted the honor to herself. Or, maybe, she knew that others would be wary to approach him, to try and teach him, because of his new status as a 'weyrwoman'.

Hunk helped Lance rouse Asul from her sleep, got Melyn to coax and guide the hatchling Between and to the Queen's wing. Lance felt a stab of panic when his small dragon vanished from view, but her tinkling laughter in his head calmed him down just a few moments later. Allura gave Lance the honor of riding on Gadh himself, as they rose high to sleeping chambers. He closed his eyes and tried to pretend that he didn't feel ill from the sudden rush of the air around him.

\------

Lance would never have guessed how hard that a weyrwoman's work was. Allura made it look flawless and easy, the graceful way she moved around the Weyr and spoke to others. It had been almost a month and Lance was still lost, still struggling with the lessons that an exasperated Harper, named Coran, was trying to teach him.

Being a dragonrider had always seemed like hard work, and it was. The type of hard he was expecting was just different from what he had received. The riders had a lot of tasks ahead of them, from making sure that communications between Weyr and Hold and Crafthall was kept up, to helping with the delivery of traded goods, and also keep their dragons healthy and fed.

Lance had his lessons on flying and feeding and fighting as well as anyone else. However, he was often crammed into a stuffy room and expected to memorize countless lessons of history and current politics. Everyone wanted him to be like Allura, so good at leading a crowd and using her words to bend the hearts of men. That just wasn't something that Lance could do. He had always been good at coming up with good plans at the spur of the moment, but never thought too far ahead, especially for things that would effect hundreds of people- perhaps even all of Pern! That pressure was too much for him, so he faltered.

Asul was also growing fast. She wouldn't be fully grown for many months to come, but she was already almost as big as a smaller Bronze. Her appetite was voracious, and what little free time that Lance had between studying was used to tend to her feedings or scales. He wanted her to shine bright, since he could sense a storm brewing on the horizon.

Word had spread of his Impression, and the Lord Holders were getting restless for 'justice'. Many other Weyrs also wanted to see the 'male goldrider'. A song had already been created about him, and Pidge to a lesser extent, by Coran himself to help spread the word. The words were pretty and tune catchy, but when the older man sang it he could still hear the undertones of melancholy.

The worst yet was that Lance felt trapped. His mother had often tucked him and his siblings in bed at night with fantastic stories on her tongue. One he could still remember, about a poor girl trapped in a crumbling tower out at sea. It was only thanks to a kindhearted rider that she was saved, but Lance didn't think that anyone would be coming to save him anytime soon.

It was rare that Lance got to leave his new chambers unless he was going to a lesson or tending Asul. He could count on one hand how many times he saw Hunk, and he hadn't seen Pidge at all since the Hatching. He only hoped they were doing well and fitting in with the other Bronzeriders. When he did manage to get a few free moments to himself, most around avoided him. It seemed that even in a Weyr, places that were almost heretic in acceptance compared to the Holds, a male goldrider was still too big of a change. With the human population, anyway; whenever Lance was out and about with Asul, dragons of all shapes and colors would flock to their side like they did with Allura and Gadh.

_Mine, you're thinking too hard again!_ Asul's voice pulled Lance from his muddled thoughts. His dragon was in front of him, stretched out like a cat at the edge of the weyrbowl. Lance had been oiling her skin, so he could prevent her pretty hide from itching or cracking. _Thinking of silly things all day when I have an itch on my wing!_

Lance couldn't help but chuckle as he moved to carefully scratch the offending area, then smoothed it down with an extra coating of oil for Asul's sake. The watchdragon sounded, and the blue eyed rider looked up in time to see three dragons come from Between overhead. They circled down in a slow arc, finally landing in the middle of the bowl.

Two of them were riders that Lance didn't know, a Brown and a Bronze. Their crests showed them being from Balmera. The other was Keith on Palgan. As soon as Keith dismounted, the Bronze leaped up again and flew the short distance over to Asul. Lance saw a lot of Palgan. The Bronze was one of the most diligent and clingy with Asul, only beaten out by Pidge's Bronze and Hunk's Brown. Even if Lance didn't see them in person, he knew their dragons very well.

Asul didn't seem too bothered by her new company, but she wasn't jumping to meet him either. She grumbled something about 'silly Bronzes' in his head, and Lance stood and approached said silly Bronze. Palgan eyed him, a look of what Lance guessed was mischief on his face. The goldrider sighed and tutted, noting a large flaking patch of hide right under the dragon's muzzle. Didn't Keith know how to take care of his own dragon?

"Dimglow." Lance muttered to himself, scooping out a little handful of oil. He hesitated, watching Palgan closely, then reached out and smoothed the slick stuff over the irritated skin. It was a quick movement, but apparently hadn't escaped attention.

"Hey!" Lance turned, found himself almost nose to nose and staring down at a very irritated looking Keith. Somehow, despite seeing his dragon so much, this was the first time that Lance had seen Keith up close in a long time. He remembered Keith being taller, but the last time he had been close enough to judge was before he had hit his growth spurt. It was with a certain superiority that he found himself happy for the extra few inches over the other man. "You have no right to just touch my dragon like that!"

Keith snapped at him, which caused Asul to lift her head slowly. She was fiercely protective of Lance, but was just as clever as her rider. She would watch for now, see what Lance did, before trying to bite Keith's face off.

Lance sputtered, not expecting that type of reaction at all. He could vaguely remember that touching someone else's dragon was rude, but how could he let such a nasty spot fester like that when he had stuff _in his hands_ that would help? Plus, it was Keith, stupid and terrible Keith. Keith, who was practically second in command at the Weyr, who was Shiro's golden boy, and who everyone loved and respected despite being so cold. He was everything that Lance wasn't so he hated the dark haired man for it.

"Maybe if you knew how to take care of your dragon, then I wouldn't have had to tend him!" Lance stood a little straighter, tried to channel the commanding presence that Allura possessed. He jutted his chin back, too, and stared down his nose at the smaller man. Keith clenched and unclenched his fists at his side, eyes narrowing and cheeks coloring in anger.

"Sharp words coming from someone who has all day to lounge around oiling their dragon, unlike the rest of us." Lance expected Keith to hit him, but instead the other rider stepped back and glared at a very interesting bit of dust on the ground. Lance was about to say more, but a puff of warm breath hit the back of his neck and he turned. Asul had fully raised up, her head craned behind Lance's, and she was staring down Keith just as hard as Lance had been. Her eyes were swirling an agitated orange.

Lance turned, ignoring the presence of the other rider behind him, and ran his fingers slowly over her muzzle until the gold's eyes flickered to a more calm blue. He sighed then, leaning his weight against her and feeling how warm she was on his skin. Even if jerks like Keith tried to make trouble with him, or people expected more from him than he felt he had to offer, at least he had Asul.

_Dim thing thinks he can insult Mine._ Asul sounded put out. Lance gave a brief chuckle, ignoring the sounds of Keith mounting Palgan again and taking off. He didn't need to deal with that, since the conversation was ended by the irritated Gold. _Palgan's is very rude for silly reasons. I will have to scold Palgan later._

Lance stayed there a little longer with Asul before leading her off to the feeding ground. He didn't notice that they had had an audience, the Bronzerider from Balmera. The goldrider just allowed his partner to gorge herself before returning to his chambers. Maybe he should have another go at history or trying to memorize the diplomatic landscape.

Instead, Lance found himself tossing and turning in his bed. Coran was gone, and without his knowledge there was no way that Lance could do it on his own. This should have made him happy, having free time to himself, but his earlier argument had really soured his mood. He felt stupid, letting Keith ruin his day. Lance didn't really get along well with the Bronzerider the few times they had talked, so why was he so bothered?

Deep down, Lance knew why. Keith was Keith, but Lance was never anything important to Keith. There was really no reason for Keith to act so openly hostile to him, even if Lance had been rude in the first place. His reaction just made another deep seeded fear root itself in Lance's heart. Surely the only reason he would be like that is because Lance was a man looked upon by a Gold, and that was strange and unnatural. If Keith, who kept to himself as often as he did, cared so much about that, then many other riders must feel the same way.

It made the goldrider's heart ache. Were there really so many who hated Lance just because of Asul? He would never resent her for anything, he loved his partner so much it hurt, but it was hard to feel so.... different. Lance wished he could talk to Pidge more often. They must have been feeling the same thing he was, so displaced by people stacking the odds against them for no reason other than they could.

Lance just closed his eyes, pulled the blankets higher under his chin. Asul had already fallen asleep, full and lethargic from her meal. Lance knew that is she were awake, the dragon would just tell him he was thinking too much. Sighing, he tried to quiet his mind and fall asleep. He would have a long day tomorrow with Coran.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter we dig more into the meat of the actual story. c:
> 
> maybe they talk more. ;3


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith invites Lance to lunch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I added a few tags. I'm also going to LOWER the rating of the story until actual dirty things happen. There isn't a reason for this story to have an E rating if it's not happened yet. Just know that when the E stuff happens, the rating will shoot back up.

The incident with Lance a few days before did not pass over as quietly as Keith would have hoped. Sendak, that ass, had seen the entire thing and of course ratted Keith out to Shiro. He knew it was Sendak because the Balmeran Bronzerider and his companion, a Brownrider named Rolo, had smugly rubbed it in his face later. Keith really regretted being in charge of seeing them to the Weyr.

What followed was a long speech on getting along with others, how Keith really needed to look out for the new Goldrider, and how he shouldn't be picking fights anyway. It looked bad on all of the riders, since it was an unwritten rule that riders should never fight with riders. It always just led to trouble.

And, as Shiro had said, in these uncertain times the riders didn't need anymore trouble than they already had. Last Threadfall had been hard on them to start, killing off many riders or dragons from all the Weyrs across the continent. Dragons had been on decline for more turns than Shiro had been alive, too, since it seemed that Golds were Clutching fewer eggs than ever, and just weren't laying anymore of their own kind on top of it.

As it stood, Allura and Lance were the only Goldriders at Voltron. Altea Weyr, where Allura was from, had three Goldriders in it's wings, but one was so elderly she couldn't take Flight anymore. Balmera only had it's Weyrwoman and her Gold, but they were also getting up there in age. Unless they could figure out what was happening, it was only a matter of time before dragonkind ran out completely. While they might have been safe for now, what about when the Red Star passed overhead again? Did Keith really want the lands they had battled so hard to protect this last Pass to simply be eaten by Thread when the Interval ended?

Keith had shook his head, shameful that he was having to be scolded like a child. Shiro seemed to be off on his own tangent, but his words had turned less reprimanding. Shiro was just talking it out now, as he often did when Keith was around. The Bronzerider had a lot of pride that he was trusted by his Weyrleader, trusted by Shiro, for them to talk out what was bothering the older man. Even if by 'talking it out', it was Shiro who talked while Keith just listened. Providing the support Shiro needed was good enough for Keith, even if it was just by having an open ear.

"Another thing." Now that Shiro had started, it was hard for him to stop. Keith wondered if the Weyrleader talked about this to Allura. As spiteful as it was, he hoped that he didn't. Either way, Keith sunk back into his chair, relaxed now that he was done being reprimanded. "We don't need to let anyone see things like that. You've seen how the Lord Holders have been acting lately. If we show any sign of weakness, they'll try and strike."

Keith hummed and nodded. Ever since Threadfall had ended, many of the Holders had become greedy. It wasn't all the Holds, bless Terran Hold and their kind Holder and supplies of smoked fish, but some, like Galra, had become demanding and self righteous. They didn't see a need for the riders, or why they should send them food or provisions if they weren't making themselves 'useful'. Which, in Keith's opinion, was a load of dragon dung. The riders did far more for the Holders than they realized, or just took for granted.

The whole ordeal surrounding Lance was being used by the Holders to push their own agenda. Holds were much more conservative and restrictive places than Weyrs or even Crafthalls. Not all Holds were the same, but Keith knew that many in power had beliefs that clashed with the Weyrs. Women had a place, and that place was breeding and tending to their husbands; which was why many of them resented Allura and the other Weyrwomen. Men should never lower themselves to a woman's work, and a woman would never do as good as a man; Keith knew that Hunk was the best cook in the whole Weyr, and that new Bronzerider, Pidge or something, had already surpassed many riders with far more experience. They also viewed the act of a man laying with another man as vile and sinful, since it was some combination of all those things above; which Keith hated the most, since he had never had the passing interest in any women in his life. He thanked the stars for male Greenriders.

_Male Goldriders, too._ Palgan had caught Keith's train of thought, took it as a chance to tease his rider simply because he could. Keith tried to mentally shush him, but was only answered back by windy laughter. At least Palgan didn't speak again.

"Is there anything you need me to do?" Keith sat up, realizing he had been quiet as Shiro stared into space and pondered. Attention brought back to the present, Shiro shook his head before pursing his lips.

"Spend more time with Lance." Keith blanched, but Shiro just set him with a firm look. "Asul has been speaking to Allura. He's lonely." 

_It's true, Mine._ His dragon answered back, apparently still listening. _Asul's is almost always upset. Asul feels bad that she caused Asul's so much sadness. She is also angry that Other's are not nicer to Asul's!_

Keith knew that Palgan was taking a small jab at him. The oiling incident from a few days ago hadn't bothered Palgan at all, but it had made Keith so angry he had almost hit the other man. How dare Lance, someone he didn't know, just touch his Bronze in such a familiar way. Then to imply he didn't care for his dragon? Keith had known the place was coming up, but he had been so busy flickering Between the last few days that he hadn't had time to sit down and doctor it. Palgan didn't blame Keith, and his rider was about to take care of it when they finally got back to their Weyr. Stupid Lance had just managed to do it first, since Palgan was so enamored with Asul.

"Just be good to him, Keith." Shiro tried to give him a kind smile. The tightness of the lines around the older man's eyes and mouth spoke a lot more about how tired that the Weyrleader was than anything he could possibly say. Keith felt a pang of guilt. This was just something else for Shiro to worry about, and Keith wasn't helping. The poor man was stressed out enough.

His peace said, Shiro rose from his seat and stretched his tired muscles out. Keith heard a few pops and cracks but didn't say anything. Just like the rest of them, the Weyrleader had been working himself to death dealing with all that was on his plate. The visitors from the Balmera Weyr were just adding insult to injury, sticking their noses where they didn't belong.

A gold had been clutched on their sands just a few days prior, which was a momentous occasion. Even if it was too soon to judge, the favorite to Impress was a young woman named Nyma. She had talked to Keith once or twice before on visits, but something about her didn't sit right with him. None of her smiles ever reached her eyes, and she was much too skilled at using her silver tongue for his liking. A few of the other hopefuls had already been sent home because of 'careless accidents'. Keith suspected foul play, but knew it wasn't his place to voice that theory.

Sendak and Rolo had been sent to collect a few of their girls, since female Candidates were so hard to find and Balmera was running thin on talent. He hated the thought of sending them away, but couldn't do much about it himself. Even if he was second in command, none of this was his place to think or act on. That was just how it was.

Either way, Keith had the rare bit of free time for rest and relaxation today. Standing, he waved to Shiro as he left. He paused at the end of the hallway, glancing down the long stretch that led away from the Weyrleader's chambers. Deeper in was the weyrwomen's chambers. Guilt still nagged at his gut, so instead of turning and heading out he made his way down the hallway.

A lilt of singing hit Keith's ears, a bright tenor. It was singing.... ah, 'The Ballad of Farla'. A classic tale of how a Goldrider's dragon died due to Threadfall, but Farla had hung on to lead her Weyr until a new Weyrwoman could be chosen. It was very tragic. Getting closer, he found it to be Coran, the Weyr's Harper, singing the sad tune.

Lance was in the small study connected to his bedroom, sitting on the floor and carefully looking over carved stones and leathers. His brows were furrowed, and he moved his lips in time with Coran's song as he sang. Lance had his riding leathers on, but they shone bright with newness. Did the other man never fly on his dragon? Most of the others from the very same hatching had already worn theirs down to a respectable level.

Lance's eyes shot up suddenly, locking with Keith's as he stood just outside the doorway. His face scrunched up, displeased, and Coran's words faltered so the song ended abruptly. The Bronzerider suddenly realized he had been staring, and felt a bit of shame and embarrassment in the pit of his stomach.

"Ah, Keith! What can we help you with?" Coran smiled, oblivious to the tension between the other two men. Palgan muttered an apology, having ratted him out to Asul, who in turn must have told Lance. Keith pulled his eyes away from Lance's bright ones, looking over at the Harper instead.

"I'm fine." Keith started. A bundle of nerves were sitting in his gut, and he didn't know why. Keith wasn't very good at picking up a lot of subtle cues, like when people were interested in him, but he could tell that Lance didn't want him anywhere around him. It made asking what he was about to ask so much harder. "I was just wondering if Lance wanted to join me to the dining hall."

Lance's face fell, eyes narrowing distrustfully. He glanced at the leathers in his hands, then to Coran, and got to his feet. Apprehension still prickled in Keith's stomach as Lance approached, shoulders slumped and movements stiff. Coran just smiled wide at the both of them, nodding to himself.

"Yes, yes! Go ahead, Lance, we can finish up later. Make sure not to eat too much!" Coran hummed and went about picking up all the scattered bits around him, taking out a small rucksack and placing everything carefully inside. Keith moved away from the door, watching as Lance exited before he followed him.

"This better not be some dim trick." Lance scoffed at him when they were far enough away that Coran wouldn't overhear. Keith shook his head, resisting rolling his eyes or some snappy comeback.

"I'm just doing a favor for Shiro is all." That seemed to shut Lance up, who lowered his head and glared at the floor. The walk to the dining hall was a short one, at least. Many were already crowded around for the midday meal, shuffling inside to sit at the long tables. Klah was being served in large pitchers, and a warm mug was shoved in both his own and Lance's hands as soon as they entered. Some type of steaming meat buns were placed on the tables, simple but hearty until the evening meal. Lance sat down at a table where few others were around, plucking two of the buns off the tray for himself. Keith say down across from him.

"So," Lance wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, mouth still full and bits of sauce clinging to his lips. Keith noted that for someone so skinny, he was eating as much as a dragon could. He was also just as messy, scattering crumbs and nips of lost meat onto the table. It was like watching a wildfire, if he had to admit it. Terrible to see, but you couldn't pull your eyes away from the sight. Still, Keith glanced up from wet lips to meet blue eyes, and he once again became lost in them as Lance spoke. "What's the whole deal here? You just going to be, like, some weird creeper since Shiro told you to? I'm not going to wake up with you standing over me at night, am I?"

Keith frowned, taking in Lance's words. Then he sighed, getting a long drink of his Klah before giving the brown haired man an answer. He wasn't really sure what any of this meant, if Shiro was trying to force friendship or what was happening. He wasn't sure he liked that idea.

"Why would I want to watch _you_ sleep?" Was all the dark haired man said instead. Lance huffed into his roll, taking another oversized bite with much more force than needed. "Look, I figure that we eat together a few times, Shiro gets off my back, and then I can do my business and you can go back to whatever you're doing with the Harper. Sound good?"

Lance looked like he was seriously mulling it over. Before an answer could be reached, a hand slammed down on the table between them, making Keith flinch back. It was the female Bronzerider, who just smirked at Lance before sitting down next to him and taking a roll for herself.

"Been a goldrider a little over a month and you already got yourself a boyfriend? Proud of you, Lance." She laughed and patted him on the back, enjoying the scandalized look that Lance gave her. Then she grinned over at Keith, holding a hand up and giving a stage whisper to him. Whatever game she was playing, she was liking it. "All he did when we were Candidates was talk about you. 'Oh, Keith flew overhead today' or 'Man, Keith is flying around on Palgan again'."

Lance ended up shoving her shoulder roughly, causing the small girl to drop her roll on the table. She didn't seem to mind, instead laughing loudly at his obviously flustered state. Keith couldn't help but note that the way his dark skin reddened was.... kind of nice. In a stupid sort of way, of course.

_Finally coming around, I see._ Palgan teased suddenly, making Keith lose track of what was going on in front of him. The Bronzerider and Lance argued back and forth for a few more moments, only settling down when the girl had laughed so hard that teardrops pricked in the corners of her eyes.

"Don't listen to Pidge. They just live to be mean to me." Lance pouted, honestly _pouted_ , dropping the rest of his uneaten bun on the table and crossing his arms. Even if he was being childish, Keith couldn't help but notice that the goldrider seemed more relaxed than before. It was like some switch had flipped inside the other boy. Lance pulled his gaze from 'Pidge' to Keith. "I only talked about you because you were totally my rival. Lance and Keith, neck-in-neck, all that kind of stuff."

Keith paused, trying to think back to if anyone had ever said that. At least, if he had ever heard it said. His days as an actual Candidate were fuzzy, and the most he could remember about Lance was how he always seemed to get in trouble or couldn't finish the lessons they were given. Keith had always been on top, a model pupil, so he couldn't imagine that anyone would say they were close, or even rivals.

"I don't remember that." Keith shook his head. His answer earned a snort from Pidge, whose malicious smile made the dark haired man shiver in his seat. The briefest flash of hurt crossed over Lance's face, but was swallowed up by anger. Again. Standing up, Lance threw back the rest of his Klah in a showy fashion.

"Whatever." He slapped his mug back on the table, earning a loud crack as it hit the stone. A few people around them paused in conversation to see what all the commotion was about. Lance stormed off, back out the door, fists at his sides. It made Keith wonder what he had done, but Pidge only raised a brow and hummed thoughtfully.

"He means well." She picked her meat bun back up, ripping a piece off and popping it into her mouth. Keith sighed, lifting his own half finished bun back up to his lips. He was ordered to talk to Lance, not this Pidge or whatever their name was. That didn't seem to stop them, though, which annoyed Keith more than it should have. "You were always important to him. Like, someone he looked up to or something. A prodigy when he was just your average Candidate."

Pidge lifted her mug up, tilting it back and drinking until it was empty. Keith watched her throat bob as she did, letting this new information sink it. It was hard to think of himself as a role model, or anything, to anyone. Shiro was the special one, the important one, and he had always just felt like someone who was desperately floundering to live up to what Shiro needed him to be. Even if Lance looked up to him, it didn't explain the combative attitude. Keith had always just wanted Shiro to be proud of him, not to one up him or make him feel bad.

Then, like a flash, Pidge was gone. Off to do whatever it was that she had been doing before, as if she had never been there at all. Keith was left alone to ponder over what had just happened. The hollowness he felt when Buraku flew Gadh returned, but he swallowed it down in his now cold cup of Klah.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith takes Lance home.

Keith came to Lance almost every day. Midday, when Coran was still giving his lessons, the dark haired Bronzerider would show up at the door. Coran would nod and wave them off, warm them on the dangers of overeating, then they were gone. The meals were always quiet and tense. Keith made no attempt to start conversation, and Lance was stubbornly refusing to give any ground. No one approached them, no one talked to them. It was the most miserable time of the day for Lance, but somehow he had fallen into some weird pattern of acceptance.

_Mine is so silly._ Is all that Asul would ever reply with when Lance tried to talk it over with her. His Gold knew his inner workings better than he did, as close as they were mentally. She often said things in riddles, content to make him puzzle out his own feelings about things instead of just telling him what she meant. It was as infuriating as it was endearing.

Lance stretched his hand out, feeling the cold air bite into his fingers as they flew lazy circles around the Weyr. The view from this high was stunning, seeing the setting sun fall over the mountainside and darken the valley below. As pretty as it was, something about the way the shadows moved always gave Lance a pang of homesickness. He missed the taste of ocean salt in the air, the warm clustering of bodies around him as he slept, and how his mother would hum softly when she was cooking. The Weyr didn't feel like home anymore, like it had for the three turns he was a Candidate.

Asul soothed him softly in his mind. Lance still didn't sleep well that night, or the night after that, or the night after that. He missed his family, and he missed Hunk, and he missed Pidge. He never saw Allura much anymore, since most of the Gold lessons were completed and she was busy. The meals with Keith were awkward and always quiet.

Until one day they weren't.

"There's a summit in a few days." Keith licked a few beads of soup from his chapped lips, not looking up at Lance. The contents of his bowl must have been very interesting. "You're required to go. Shiro wanted me to tell you."

Ah, Shiro was the cause of this. Of course. For some reason knowing that Keith had only tried because of the Weyrleader made a bitterness spread through his chest. Lance suddenly wasn't very hungry, and pushed his bowl of soup away from himself. Sighing, he pillowed his head on his arms and closed his eyes. His head was starting to hurt, but he still had more lessons with Coran after his meal, then flying practice later, plus he still had to oil Asul. All of this was getting to be too much, too hard to deal with on his own. He only wished someone would see him struggling like he was.

"Are you.... alright?" Lance hadn't meant his wish literally, or right that second, but apparently Keith was delivering. The brown haired man shook his head, not in the mood to fight Keith like he really wanted. He was just so tired of being alone. "I see." Keith sounded so awkward, like he wasn't used to being in this kind of situation. Lance was pretty sure that if the Bronzerider tried to comfort him right now, he would snap and lash out, finally putting an end to this miserable time every day.

"Want to come with me on my patrols?" Again, not what Lance had expected to hear. His head shot up, and only when Keith openly stared at him with an imploring look did he realize his mouth was open. Lance had not been on patrols, had not been offered the chance to leave the Weyr. It was an offer from _Keith_ , which soured it some, but it was better than nothing.

"When do we leave?" Lance grinned, feeling much better than he had in at least a sevensday. No sooner than they had finished eating and exited, the Goldrider was atop Asul and soaring high next to Palgan and Keith. The Weyr became smaller and smaller below them as they spiraled high, then Palgan dropped and flickered out of existence, going Between.

Lance gasped for breath right before Asul followed, going wherever it was that Keith was headed. He hated Between and actively avoided going there when he could. It was so dark, and so cold. He couldn't' feel Asul under him, even thought he knew she was there, and felt like for the few beats they were there that he didn't exist. The only thing that kept him tethered, kept him sane, was his mental link to Asul and how he could feel the thumping of his own heart.

Sensation slapped him in the face and Lance gasped for breath. Salt hit his tongue and the sun was bright. Palgan was ahead of them, his long shadow casting over the stretch of coastline they were soaring against. The waves below shimmered like gems, sparkling in the midday sun. Heat beat down on his skin. In the distance he could see the massive stone doors of Terran Hold, open as fishing ships passed through. Lance felt like he could cry.

_I bet we could beat Palgan there!_ Asul praised in his mind, and Lance laughed loud even if it was lost to the wind whistling around his head. He urged her forward, faster, and they passed the unsuspecting Bronze and rider before they even knew what happened. Lance glanced back, saw Keith realize what was going on and then the fire that came into his eyes. They were neck and neck the entire way there, but Keith managed to pull ahead last minute and soar into the Hold.

Asul landed just behind him, stretching out her wings for balance as she lowered herself for Lance to jump off. A small crowd had gathered around them, filled with familiar faces both young and old. It had been turns since Lance had seen this place, and he felt nostalgia punch him in the gut.

Keith had approached someone who had stepped out of the crowd. Lance knew it to be Lord Holder Iverson. He towered over Keith, skin dark and hands rough from turns out at sea hauling in nets. Lance pulled his eyes from the familiar man, searching the crowd. His eyes met blue ones, from a tall and lanky young woman with curly brown hair who looked his age. They both recognized each other at the same time, gasping and rushing towards each other with arms open. His sister.

Lance didn't notice Iverson or Keith stop to look at them curiously as he scooped the young woman into a tight hug and twirled her around. He was too busy beaming, happy that the young woman was well. She laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck until he set her down. 

"Lance! We've all missed you so much!" Then she pulled away, looking shyly at her feet. Lance could see she looked worried, maybe even unsure. She wouldn't lift her dark blue eyes to meet his own. "The Gold is... yours. That song that the Harper was singing is true."

It wasn't a question, just a fact, as anyone with working eyes could see Lance had gotten off of Asul. A feeling of shame blossomed in his chest. He had forgotten that word would come back here. Lance had foolishly hoped that maybe his family and friends would be spared from the information and he could pretend that everything was normal. Still, she took his hand and started to pull him through the crowd. It parted for them, and Lance could see the hurt and disdain on a few of the faces around him. Faces that he thought about and loved so dearly when he was missing home.

"Liezel, I'm sorry." Lance wasn't sure what he was apologizing for, but he felt that he needed to do it. His sister gave a sad smile, then shook her head so her curls bounced. She took his hand, tangling their fingers together and squeezing his hand.

"Don't be sorry, Lance. Mama and Papa are still proud of you, and so are all our siblings! Iverson has been very kind, too, painting it as the honor it is to everyone else..."

The silence after was comfortable, as Liezel led Lance through the familiar tunnels. The glowstones were dim in a few places, and the floors were slick with water in others, but it smelled like childhoods playing hide and seek or being scolded for keeping under an elder's feet. Soon enough the warm smell of cooking food filled Lance's nose, fish being roasted whole body over fire pits or soups bubbling to make stock. When Lance had first left the Hold, he had promised himself that if he ever ate another fish it would be too soon. Now it was one of his favorite meals, even if the smoked fish at the Weyr wasn't as good as fresh from the ocean.

"Mama!" Liezel walked into their old home, smile bright on her face. From the hearth, a small, middle aged woman looked up with tired blue eyes. Lance's face hurt he was smiling so hard. He ran inside and hugged her tight, ignoring how he heard her gasp softly and make a surprised noise. His granny, so old and feeble, mumbled something thickly from the corner; she had lost her teeth turns ago and it always seemed like only his father ever knew what the old woman was saying.

"My son..." His mother petted Lance's hair back, holding him tight and squeezing him hard. He pretended not to feel her body shake as she cried a few tears, knowing how she hated to seem weak in front of her children. It was also easier to pretend the wetness on his own cheeks was from the air, even as the fat drops landed on his mother's salt and pepper hair.

Soon enough, the house filled with bodies, siblings and uncles and aunts and cousins, all crowded around. It made the air more humid and stuffy, but Lance couldn't have been happier. He was home, even if it was only for a little while. The only shame was that his father and older brothers weren't there, having left on a fishing vessel that morning and not due back until tomorrow evening.

They all told stories, caught Lance up on the local gossip he had missed in the last three turns. His older sister had just gotten married when he left, but now had a son all of her own. Liezel was being courted by the Holder's son, and rumors were that he planned to wed her soon. They all listened, enraptured, when he told them about life at the Weyr, how nice it was, how everyone was so happy. He couldn't bare the thought of making his family suffer, knowing just how lonely that he was there, how many avoided him.

"You've been standing there for too long! Come in before you catch a cold!" His mother interrupted one of his many stories of when he was a Candidate, looking up towards the doorway. Keith was there, leaning in the frame, his arms crossed. A brow raised as he looked at Lance. He looked a little uncomfortable being called out, but stepped inside reluctantly. His sister scooted over, made room for the dark haired man to sit next to Lance around the fire.

"Sorry to interrupt." Keith was quiet, looking anywhere except for Lance's mother. It amused Lance, just a little, that her imposing nature could effect Keith as much as it did the rest of the Hold. The woman looked him over sternly, but them smiled and laughed. "I'm Keith, Bronzerider of Voltron Weyr."

"You're much too skinny. Eat. Any friend of my son is a friend of ours."

Lance wanted to bite back that they weren't friends, that he hated Keith, but seeing how happy his mother was killed the words in his throat. Instead he just watched as Keith picked up one of the roasted fish off the fire. He plucked off a few of the charred bits and sunk his teeth in it, not minding the poking little bones at all. Lance was a little impressed; most people outside of sea holds couldn't appreciate the bones.

All fell into quiet, comfortable conversation. Lance felt warm and loved like he hadn't in a long time, and it was nice to know that his family still missed him and cared for him.

"Lance." It was one of his younger cousins, a shy girl of almost fifteen turns. He nodded, smiling, as the room turned it's attentions to her. She looked sheepish, but soldiered on with what she had to say. "Is this, um.... is Keith... yours?" She motioned vaguely with her hands, linking them together and pulling them apart a few times. Realization slowly came over Lance, sucking the breath out of him. His face felt hot, and it wasn't because of the fire or press of bodies. Realizing her mistake, his cousin looked down and turned as red as he felt.

"I-it's just that, t-this Greenrider and Brownrider come around sometimes, and they're.... because of their dragons! And Gold's only go with Bronze, so, I-I just thought..." She faltered, shushed by her mother who gave her a sharp look. The room was quiet as they waited for Lance to answer. Keith beat him to it.

"My dragon hasn't Flown Lance's." The words were spoken slowly but firmly. Then Keith took a deep breath, looked up, unshaken. He didn't seem bothered at all that Lance's family was implying that they were... together. No waver in his voice or pink on his cheeks. "That doesn't mean Palgan can't, or even won't try. Asul is just too young right now."

A quiet muttering of agreement and acceptance came from around the fire pit. His granny started laughing in the corner, muttering something no one else could understand again. When Keith stood to leave, explaining they had more places to be, Lance didn't put up too much of a fight. He still hugged his mother tightly, and promised to come visit soon.

The sun didn't seem as bright when they left. Too much was swirling in his head again, a realization that someday, sooner than he liked, a Bronze would Fly Asul and he would be.... with another man. It was hard to accept. He was a Hold boy, always told that kind of thing was wrong, that he needed to marry a pretty young woman if he wanted to be a good man. Have lots of children to make his parents proud. Lance had never had a problem with that, because he _liked_ women, they were pretty and soft and squishy in all the right places.

Would he be with a woman now? Ever again? Was he okay with that? The thought crossed his mind of Keith, what he had said about Palgan and Asul. If that happened, he would be with Keith. Was that... okay? Lance wasn't sure if he would mind or not. Lance wasn't sure about a lot of things.

_Mine, you know what I'm going to say._ Lance did. Asul was going to say what she always did, unbothered by what was being implied. If anything, she seemed to like the idea, seemed to like the thought of Palgan Chasing her high above the cloud of the Weyr. _He won't Catch me._ She boasted, proud of her flying talent and so sure of herself.

Lance just asked her to tell Palgan they were going back to the Weyr. He suddenly didn't feel very well. It had less to do with what had happened and more that the thought of pressing his lips to Keith's pretty peach ones didn't bother him as much as it should.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lance is gunna have a Bisexual Crisis. I kind of wanna put a lot of what I felt when I came out into him so... sorry Lance. RIP in pieces.
> 
> Next chapter should be the start of the Summit. It'll probably take a chapter or two, maybe even three, to get through. A lot will happen.
> 
> I hope you guys like it. <3


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith and Lance go to the summit.

Keith avoided thinking about what happened at the Terran hold. When it crossed his mind, he would busy himself with some task, throwing himself headfirst into work so he could distract himself. It was really odd. Deep down, Keith had sort of hoped that Lance would be like him, but seeing how _against_ it the Goldrider had been had almost hurt. Mostly it was because he was lonely. Palgan had the chance to Fly Golds before, even Gadh when Buraku had caught her.

Keith was sure that, if Palgan had Flown, he would have caught her instead. The Bronze just hadn't, had somehow resisted the call that Gadh had issued, and then had never explained why to his rider. Or, it could have been that Keith was just too afraid to ask, worried that his bonding with Palgan meant he had broken the dragon somehow. He didn't want his dragon to suffer just because Keith was different, couldn't just 'be happy' with a woman. Thank the stars for male Greenriders, but sometimes the quick flings with them weren't as satisfying as they should be.

It wasn't as if Keith felt the sting or rejection or heartbreak. He barely knew Lance, after all, and it would be silly to imply that he loved him or cared about him beyond being a Goldrider. Mostly, he was just disappointed. Lance was attractive, sure, but Keith was jealous. Not of Lance, but of Shiro and Allura, of all the other Bronze and Gold pairs in the other Holds. They all seemed to have some deep connection, and it was nice to imagine sleeping with warmth next to him instead of just his cold sheets. He wasn't a romantic by any means, he just allowed himself to get too sentimental was all.

So Keith did what he did best: he pushed it down, ignored it, still met Lance for their daily meal and even spoke a few forced words to him. It was hard to not notice how Lance couldn't quite meet his eyes now, how sometimes Keith would catch him staring out of the corner of his eye with a horrified look on his face. It kind of made him feel like putting any effort at all into the other man wasn't worth it, even if it made Shiro happy to see them together. More than once the older man had pulled Keith aside and thanked him for keeping Lance company.

"Hey!" Keith was busy grooming Palgan when Lance approached him. The other man was dressed nicely, at least compared to normal. A weyrwoman's clothes didn't really suit Lance, but at least someone had the decency to shorten the cream dress like a shirt and give him a nice pair of pants. He wondered why Lance had bothered, but then remember that tonight was the summit. All the Lord Holders, Weyrleaders, Weyrwomen, and Craftmasters would be there, along with any other notable people. Keith was always technically invited, being Weyrsecond, but he disliked the event for multiple reasons and never went.

Lance sat down next to him, folding his long legs next to Keith and looking at him intently. Keith paused in smearing oil on Palgan's thigh and glanced over at the brown haired man, brow raised. Lance looked determined about something, as if he wouldn't take 'no' for an answer to whatever he was about to say.

"Shiro said I could have a guest, and I can't find Hunk or Pidge, so you're coming with me." The older man grabbed Keith's wrist suddenly, tugging him. He tried to flinch away and jerked his wrist out of Lance's grasp, not used to such sudden physical contact. Those blue eyes looked hurt again, like they had weeks ago at their first meal, but then clouded over as he snarled. "Well, fine, don't come or whatever! It's not like you're my friend anyway!"

Keith snarled, grabbing Lance's upper arm and pulling him back down when he tried to stand. He wasn't sure what Lance's problem was, but he didn't appreciate it. He was the one coming over here and announcing that Keith was his third choice to go and then getting all angry. He hadn't even given Keith a chance to reply! He guessed that Lance would just always resent him, but he wasn't about to be walked on.

"Stop being so melodramatic. I'll come with you." That shut Lance up. The older boy still looked a little sullen, but accepted what he said. They both rose, Keith wiping the last of the oil on his hands onto Palgan, earning a small rumble from the Bronze. Keith hopped on top of his dragon, sitting in the dip of his back. Lance frowned from the ground.

"You're wearing _that_?" Lance scoffed. Keith just rolled his eyes at the other man.

"Nothings wrong with what I have on." He felt more defensive than he should have, but Lance just brought that part of Keith out. The dark haired man had never felt self conscious of his clothes- you learn to appreciate what you have when you're used to rags. Hearing that one comment from Lance made him reevaluate himself. Did others look down on him because of what he wore? Did they think badly of Shiro because of him?

"Fine, fine." Lance raised his hands up, looking like he had more to say. Instead, he dismissed Keith by by walking away, to the center of the bowl where Allura and Shiro were waiting with their dragons. A few leaps, bounds, and glides was all it took for Keith to join them, beating Lance as he walked over. The brown haired man shot him a nasty look as he mounted Asul.

Keith was used to the cold of Between, and didn't think much of it as they made way to Altea. It was their turn to hold the summit. It was already dark here, unlike the setting afternoon sun back at Voltron. Piles of glowstone were dotting the bowl, which was buzzing with life. Dragons were busy flying Between, picking up and dropping off those important enough to attend. They landed soundly, watchdragons announcing their arrival so space was made for the four large dragons.

Upon dismount, Lance was pulled aside by Allura to join a few women that Keith recognized as fellow weyrwomen. He couldn't help but notice that the boy looked flustered, but was smiling and seemed to be trying to get along with the other Goldriders. A firm hand was placed on his shoulder, and Keith looked up to meet Shiro's grave face.

"I'm glad you came with him, Keith." Shiro tried to offer him an encouraging grin, but it just looked forced. Something was worrying him. "I want you to stick with him. Guard him. Something isn't right about tonight."

With that, they broke apart, Weyrleader Alfor approaching Shiro with a cordial greeting. Shiro perked up, offering a smile as genuine as any. Only Keith knew the truth. He glanced to the sidelines, of people clustering together for gossip, and noticed that Holder Zarkon was talking to Sendak about something. The Bronzerider had his arms crossed, but was smiling devilishly. He had never noticed how similar the two looked before that moment.

Laughter caught Keith's attention next, loud and obnoxious. The weyrwomen were still clustered together, but slowly making their way into the summit hall, Lance in tow. They were all smiling and laughing, talking animatedly about something that Keith couldn't hear. Not wanting to fail Shiro, and not seeing any prospects to start conversation, Keith followed them at his own pace.

The summit filled up quickly, the tables of the dining hall being pulled into a circle. Keith was positioned across the room from Lance, who sat next to Allura. Shiro was on next to him, across from Allura. The other Weyrwomen and Weyrleaders were positioned in similar fashion, with Alfor and his Weyrwoman at the front of the room since they were hosting. The Holders and Craftmasters were all positioned farther down the circle. The Masterharper and a few of his personal apprentices were in the corner of the room, playing a soft tune for all to enjoy.

"Thank you all for gathering here today." Alcor's voice boomed over the dim of noise, quieting down the room and signaling that they had started. Even the music stopped, on one perfectly timed and sweet note. "This summit was called today so we all may discuss the problems of Weyr, Hold and Hall in a civil manner."

Alfor continued for a bit, starting off the summit by speaking of the problems within his own Weyr, between the Holds under his jurisdiction, and some of the ways he thought to remedy this. When he was done, the other Weyrleaders cut in, followed by the Holders as they argued out some way to reach a mutual benefit. Occasionally the MasterCraftsmen would talk about some breakthrough they had had in their respective fields of study, or would just report that all was going well. It mostly seemed like a lot of arguing for a whole lot of nothing, since no agreements had been reached. There was a reason Keith didn't usually come to these things. They were boring.

"I think we are all ignoring the dragon in the room." It was Zarkon, his voice rising smoothly over the voices and silencing them. He stared coldly at Shiro, but then his eyes slid over to a wide eyed and confused Lance. Keith saw the other man wince with every word that Zarkon spoke, filled with venom that was undeserved by the male goldrider. "Voltron Weyr allowed this _abomination_ in their ranks, even after we, their Holders, told them to do something about it."

The room erupted again, shouting from angry Holders demanding retribution for what Voltron had done, riders (especially the weyrwomen, Keith noted; Lance had made allies fast) shouting back in indignation for those accusations. The dark haired man also noticed that Holder Iverson was full of fury, raising his voice in Lance's defense with the others. It was all a din of confusion, until Lance stood up, his chair scraping back loudly. He looked angry, but also on the verge of tears. The noise settled down, a pregnant void waiting on him to speak.

"If any of you think that my Asul made the wrong choice, then lodge your complaints with _her_. I'm sure she'll be more than happy to show you a fang or two as she explains herself!" The Lance whirled around, ignoring the angry shouting at his back. Keith was a little impressed in the display, but he also caught the starting of tears to drip down his face before he covered himself with his hand.

Keith stood, mostly ignored as he followed Lance out. Shiro had told him to protect the older man, and he would be failing his Weyrleader if he let Lance alone in the state he was in. It wasn't hard to find Lance, with the various collected dragons in the bowl. He was curled up next to Asul, holding her close and blinking tears onto her scales. Said dragon looked very agitated, eyes swirling a deep orange and tail flicking. A few other dragons had clustered around, one of which was Palgan, almost defensively.

"Lance." Keith approached, ignoring the warning grumble from Asul. He knelt down next to the man, who refused to look at him. He didn't touch him, knowing that the Gold would have his head if he even tried.

"I'm sure this is all nice and funny to you, Keith, but leave me alone." Lance's voice cracked.

"I never said this was funny, dimglow." Keith groused out, frowning at Lance. "I'm also not leaving you alone." He said it was a tone finality.

"You're just out here because of _Shiro_ again. He's the only reason you try. You hate me!" Lance wiped his face, leaning up enough to glower at Keith. It wasn't as intimidating as Lance probably hoped, his eyes pink, puffy, and tear tracks down his cheeks. Keith wanted to scowl back, but instead all he could do was knit his brow in confusion. Lance thought he hated him?

"I don't hate you." Even with Keith's very limited social skills, he knew better than to blurt out that, yes, technically he was only here because of Shiro. Only because Shiro had wanted him to watch over Lance tonight. Now it was Lance's turn to be confused, bright blue eyes clouding as he mulled over what Keith was saying.

Lance's eyes moved from Keith to somewhere over his shoulder. Keith turned. In the distance, in a particularly shadowy alcove of rock, two cloaked figures were talking to one another. Keith caught a flash of steel being passed from one to the other. Lance gasped beside him. Whoever it was parted ways, one heading deeper into the Weyr and the other headed back to the dining hall, where everyone was still gathered. Keith guessed that the assailants (what else could they be?) hadn't expected anyone to be out here, and probably hadn't seen them for the cluster of dragon bodies around them. Keith remembered Shiro's earlier warning.

Keith's eyes met Lance's again. Even thought his face was still swollen from crying, there was a flinty resolve that Keith didn't expect. Lance pushed himself to his feet and wiped his face one last time, then offered his hand to Keith.

"We're stopping them." 

Keith wasn't going to argue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm so glad that you guys are enjoying this so much! i really appreciate all the comments, kudos and bookmarks! they really light up my day when i get them, and it makes me want to write more for you guys.
> 
> next chapter, we find out what the deal is with those cloaked guys. ;3c


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They discover the assailant.

Altea Weyr was dark and unfamiliar, but that wouldn't stop Lance. He was on the trail of whoever the cloaked figure was like a bloodhound, with Keith not far behind him. Multiple twists and turns down empty hallways that would just make the goldrider's head spin if he thought too much about it. Altea was much older than Voltron was, and the deeper they went the more it showed. The ceiling dipped downwards and the walls closed in, but the occasional flash of brown turning a corner was all it took for Lance to push forward.

Lance turned a corner, then gasped and pushed back, Keith nearly crashing into him. The figure was standing over a balcony, back to them. Below them was the dining hall, with everyone still gathered inside and arguing loudly. It was angled in a way that if you were below you couldn't see the balcony, because Lance had never noticed it when he had been down there. This must have been an old servant's way.

Pushing Keith back around the corner, Lance let out a soft breath and glanced back at the other man. Keith's eyes were hard, fists raised and clenching tight. He looked ready for a fight.

"I'm going in." Keith muttered, starting around the corner.

"No!" Lance hissed under his breath, grabbing Keith by the collar of his shirt and pulling him back around before he could get too far. Keith gave him a nasty look, but Lance just shushed him before he could protest. "We don't know what he wants, and he's working with someone. Maybe more than just one someone! Lets see what he's after, then charge in."

Keith frowned, but nodded. Lance was glad that he could at least see the logic in his plan. So, he pressed himself against the wall, peeking out and watching the figure as they looked below. There was movement, and a finely crafted bow, of all things, was pulled from the deeper folds of the brown leather. It would have been a good hunting bow. A shiny, iron tipped arrow was slotted against it, deft fingers pulling back the cord and aiming.

Lance followed the aim, finding that it landed squarely on Allura's chest, who was busy talking with some passion below.

"No!" Lance shot from around the corner, rushing down the assailant. They jerked, startled, as Lance ran for them. He ran on instinct, unsure what to do other than knock them out of the way. The goldrider knew very basic combat skills, but had never been in an actual fight. He ended up just grabbing the man by the arms and tumbling into him, knocking them both off balance.

The man let off the arrow, firing it back, and Lance heard a yelp behind him. He had just a tick to glance behind him, see Keith with his face clenched in pain and holding a bloody shoulder, arrow jutting out of it. Then he realized he was falling. His force, doubled with the surprise, had made him and the man lose their balance. They tumbled over the worn down barricade, Lance letting out a sharp scream as they fell through the air.

It lasted both forever and an instant. Lance felt like he was in the air an eternity, watching the faces of those below turn to shock. They got closer and closer, and he couldn't move and couldn't speak and couldn't hear. Then he heard him, and the man, hit the table before he felt it, a loud crash and the sick thump of bones crunching against rock. He shook hard, jarred by the fall. At least he had landed mostly on top of the man, his fall broken somewhat.

Then pain flooded Lance's system, coming from his arm, and he shrieked again. Someone roughly pulled him off, but he couldn't feel his arm and it was dangling limply next to body. He didn't know who had him, he just registered hands holding him tightly and keeping him pinned in place. He had somehow made it to where he was sitting on the floor.

Keith was shouting from above, shouting about the assassin, shouting about his arm, and shouting about Lance. All Lance could hear was the roaring rumble of white hot fury that overtook him, not from himself, but from Asul. She was enraged, not so much in words but in feelings. This wasn't his delicate Asul but a beast, who was enraged that her partner had been hurt.

Lance felt the intent before he heard it, sense slowly coming back to him. Asul wasn't just shrieking in his head- she was shrieking outside. He rose to his feet, ignoring the way his arm felt like jelly and the hands trying to pull him back down. The doorway was crowded with people already, but they parted for Lance to allow him at the front.

Asul was still in the bowl, but only one other dragon was around her. A blue, which Asul currently had by the throat and was busy tearing to shreds with sharp claws and fangs. The much smaller Blue cried pitifully, not really fighting back. Thick blood coated Asul's shimmering scales and the ground around them.

"She's killing him!" It was Allura, next to him, eyes wet with tears and hands over her mouth. She got a strange look on her face, right as Lance heard the echo of ' _Yours hurting Mine!_ ' in his head. She turned, looking back over her shoulder at the unmoving figure still on the table. "Check the body! Check the body!"

Lance couldn't remember much after that. He passed out.

\------

The first thing that Lance noticed was the bitter smell around him, rousing his senses. Then he noticed the pain, and that he was laying down in bed, and that he couldn't remember how he got here. Cracking open his gummy eyes didn't help, as he just stared at a stone ceiling in confusion. The glows had already been covered, but a soft light was coming from somewhere else in the room, obscured by a thin sheet before him.

Lance tried to sit up, found that his left arm was in a sling, and then he laid back down when pain made him nauseous. It looked like he was in a healer's for some reason. Memories slowly came back to him, the summit, the assassin, Asul and...

Lance reached out with his mind, scared, but quickly felt the loving touch of Asul wrap around him. She was tentative and shy, clearly worried that Lance would be upset with her, but she also didn't seem ashamed of her actions. It was nice to have her there, to know she was alright.

The next thing that Lance took stock of was a body sitting slumped in a chair next to his bed, eyes closed and snoring softly. It was Keith, his right arm in a sling and thick bandages on his shoulder. Lance couldn't help taking the odd sight in, seeing how strangely peaceful that Keith looked asleep; even if the rest of the dark haired man looked like he had been on the Red Star itself.

"Keith." Even if Lance was whispering, his voice felt loud in the small space they were using. Keith didn't move, just sighed in his sleep. Lance frowned and tried again. "Keith, wake up."

A little louder did it, Keith's head shooting up and eyes snapping open. He blinked, bleary and confused, but then glanced over at Lance. Their eyes locked, and Lance was taken aback, because he had never noticed how rich of a gray that Keith's eyes were, seeming to almost shine purple in the low light. They were handsome.

Lance blushed, bothered by this intrusive thought. He couldn't remember why he had wanted to wake Keith in the first place.

"You're up." Keith said, his voice thick and rough with sleep. Lance felt a small tremor run down his body, one he wasn't sure he liked. The other man rubbed his face with his good hand and yawned. "Are you hurting?"

Lance shook his head. "No." He was, a little, but nothing he couldn't manage on his own. As he thought back on what had happened, he realized that there was a big blank in his mind, where one tick he was watching Asul rip another dragon apart and the next he was here. "What happened?"

"The assassin was Prorok, an Altea Bluerider. We don't know what he was after. He died as soon as he hit the ground." Keith paused. His voice was soft, much softer than Lance thought Keith could ever be. "The Blue was his. It went Between as soon as Asul was done with it."

"He was aiming for Allura!" Keith glanced back up at Lance, searching his face, then frowned at the other man.

"What you did was stupid. You got hurt. You got _me_ hurt."

"You shouldn't have stayed here if you were only going to scold me." Lance was flushed again, but more so because he felt shame than because of anything that Keith was doing. He was right, as loathe as the goldrider was to admit it. There had been better ways to ago about what he had done, ways that could have ended with no one hurt and Prorok still alive so they could get answers. If a dragonrider was trying to kill another rider... it spoke of very ill times in their future.

"Go back to sleep, Lance." Was all that Keith replied with, leaning back in his chair again. "You need to be able to return to Voltron in the morning."

Lance wanted to to protest, to at least talk some more to Keith. But the Bronzerider had already let his eyelids flutter closed, and Lance felt the heavy tug of sleep washing over him now that he had his answers. Asul cooed soothing again, her feelings of love and affection the last thing he knew before he drifted off.

\------

His arm was broken. The healer had made sure that Lance knew that before he left, before forcing him to drink enough fellis juice that he didn't care about the wound anymore. He could barely remember getting back to Voltron hold. The only thing he could really recall was how firm and warm that Keith's good hand had been on his back as he walked him up to his chambers. Then he was out again, the fellis getting to him.

Lance awoke again to the smell of hot food and low talking in his room. He sat up blearily, his arm throbbing dully in pain again. The talking stopped, and the goldrider pushed himself over to see who was there. It was Pidge and Hunk, sitting at a table nearby. They stared at him, then Hunk broke out into a wide grin and jumped up, Pidge following on his heels.

"Lance!" Hunk had crushed him in a hug before he even realized what was happening, Pidge laughing when the smaller man let out a startled sound of pain. It didn't deter Hunk as much as Lance would have hoped, but he did loosen his grip and pull away.

"Hunk, it's been forever! I thought you had left me all by myself." Lance couldn't keep the pout off his face or the whine out of his voice. At least Hunk had the decency to look sheepish about the accusation.

"Don't be too hard on him, Lance. He's been _busy_ at Balmera." Pidge slapped Hunk on the back, then winked at him and started to giggle into their hand. Hunk went from sheepish to embarrassed, his face turning bright red as he stared down at the much younger rider.

"Pidge! Come on!" Hunk huffed, frowning at the teasing.

"What? What does that mean?" Lance eyed Hunk suspiciously, who wouldn't look down at the goldrider. His face was still red, too, and Lance's question seemed to have made it worse.

"Our dear Hunk found himself true love!" Pidge grinned again up at the Brownrider, snickering behind their hand again. "A pretty little Greenrider named Shay. I heard she's already had to take a few short rides Between."

"Pidge!" Said Bronzerider downright cackled at Hunk's offended whine. Lance couldn't help but join in. It died down a few minutes later, Lance's stomach hurting from his loud chortling, but a pressing question entered his mind and made him frown.

"If you're so busy with this 'Shay', then what are you doing here? I thought you were doing some Bronzerider stuff, Pidge?"

Hunk and Pidge glanced at one another, having some silent conversation that Lance couldn't parse out. Finally, Hunk sighed and Pidge nodded, the larger man defeated. They turned back to Lance.

"Allura wanted us to keep an eye on you. She said you're weak and sick. Also, you're a whiny little lonely baby. But, Asul said that, not us." Pidge rolled her eyes.

_Sorry, Mine, it's true. I told Gadh's how sad you were and that I was worried about Mine._ Lance frowned at Asul. She wasn't sorry about this, as worry was in her underlying tone. He had never meant to make her feel this way, and guilt prickled in his gut. At least his Gold gently smoothed it away before going quiet again.

"Lance, I brought you some food." They all turned for the doorway, just in time to see Keith push inside with a tray of soups and breads balanced in his hand. He seemed to be having some trouble, with only one arm, but it didn't stop him. The dark haired man paused, wide eyed and clearly not expecting Lance to have company. He placed the tray on a nearby table and backed up, looking down. "Oh, sorry, I'll leave."

"No!" Lance was as surprised as anyone else was when he squawked that out. Keith started at him, mouth parted in a little 'o'. Lance swallowed, suddenly feeling hot in the face again. "I mean.... you can stay. Hunk and Pidge won't bite. Well, Hunk won't."

Lance ignored the little 'Hey!' from Pidge, waiting to see what Keith would do. The other man looked unsure, but then he glanced from the tray of food to Lance, and nodded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'taking a short ride Between' is a phrase used to describe an abortion for female riders. It's in the Glossary I linked if you want more details about it. Pidge was mostly just teasing Hunk, and didn't mean it in a serious way.
> 
> i keep forgetting to mention, but i have a tumblr! it's [ancientnapdragon](http://ancientnapdragon.tumblr.com/)! i'm usually tooling around, and mostly my blog is just dumb reblogs, but i would love to chat about klance or voltron or fanfiction or anything else i like if you feel like dropping me a line!
> 
> i still really love everyone reading and commenting and stuff! it's my lifeblood. <3
> 
> the updates for the next three or four days might be a little rocky. it's only because of work, though!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith and Lance go hunting.

It was tense times for all of Pern, not just for Voltron Weyr. A rider trying to kill another rider, especially a goldrider and Weyrwoman, was a big deal that couldn't be ignored. Yet, sadly, with Prorok dead and no other information on who could have masterminded this scheme everyone was at a standstill. Life still moved on, people lived and dragons flew, but there was a heavy aura in the air that wouldn't let anyone relax. It had people looking over their shoulders.

It had been almost a month since the incident at the summit. Keith was healing nicely, his arm still sore and hard to move but at least it worked. A nasty scar of bunched up skin was the only evidence he had even been hurt in the first place, and that he couldn't lift his arm higher than his head without any pain. Lance was still wrapped tight by braces and slings, but seemed to be doing okay. With Hunk and Pidge doting on him since the incident, the goldrider had seemed much more lively than he had before.

He would laugh and joke and smile, and it only made Keith a little jealous, and he could admit it was a little weird that he watched from the sidelines as Lance had his fun. He just didn't feel like he belonged in the happy little circle of friends. They were too boisterous and he didn't understand all the inside jokes the three shared, like their own personal language between the three. He was the outsider, and it made the rawness come back every time he felt it or thought about it.

Shiro and Allura had also been very much out of Keith's reach since the summit. The only time he saw either of them was in secret, late night meetings with Coran in the couple's chambers. The Harper was using his network to dig for all the clues he could, but so far nothing could be found. There were no riders going missing at random times, or mysterious visits to Crafthalls, or gatherings of Lord Holders behind closed doors. Nothing out of the ordinary could be picked up.

Aside from the growing dissent from the Lord Holders, of course. Since the summit, there had been a very clear divide taking shape. Those outside of the Weyrs sided with the Weyrs or they didn't. Politics were getting even more complicated than before, and it was reducing trade. Keith himself had to visit Galra Hold himself with Shiro sevensday ago, and the message was clear: get rid of Lance and bend to the Holders wills, or no more supplies would be paid to Voltron. So far they were doing well with their limited supplies of beef and leather, but he wasn't sure how long that would last.

At least Terran had been filling their supplies with extra fish, since they weren't trading with the other Holds as much now.

Lance prodded Keith lightly and startled him from his thoughts, the taller man taking a seat next to him. Keith had been out at the bathing pools, giving Palgan a good wash before his oiling. It had been hard to do with his wounded arm, but he had gotten done soundly and now his Bronze was sunning himself dry on an outcropping of rocks. Keith had been sitting a ways away from in the grass, by his lonesome. He hadn't noticed Lance at all, since Asul wasn't with him. Lance couldn't exactly fly with only one arm.

"You look constipated. Stop thinking so hard." Lance teased him and grinned, that lopsided thing that made Keith's heart stutter in his chest. He was... well, he didn't know. Not in deep, but something else. He still gave Lance his most scathing look, only to be met with loud peals of laughter.

"I'm busy." Keith snapped back, but all Lance did was roll those pretty blue eyes and butt their shoulders together lightly. The goldrider folded his long legs underneath himself and looked out over the water, rippling from a soft breeze.

"Are not." Lance teased again, but then he frowned as he stared out at nothing with Keith. "You're thinking about all that's happened... right?" His voice was quieter, treading gently with tact that Keith often forgot that Lance had.

"Yeah." Keith sighed and brushed his thick bangs out of his eyes, frowning, trying to fit the pieces together. There had to have been something they were all missing. Lance didn't know as much about the situation as Keith did, but Coran had been working closely with the other man and Allura wanted to keep her fellow goldrider in the loop. He wasn't ignorant to what was happening; he may have even used his loose lips to tell Hunk and Pidge if Keith knew him at all.

"They're getting messages across _somehow_ , but there isn't any signs of foul play!" It frustrated Keith to know that they were just waiting now. Waiting on the next attack, and there would surely be another attack, in the hopes of finding out who this was and what they wanted. He was more a man of action.

"Its almost like they have a dragon or something, you know? Just, go write something, send it on its way, and then no one has to know!" Lance shook his head. "Only a little one, so no one would see it come and go." He shook his head at the ridiculous notion, but then his brows knitted in deep thought.

"Lance?"

"Have you ever.... heard of fire lizards?" Glancing over, Lance seemed unsure of what he was saying. Still, Keith shook his head and turned to face Lance, giving the other man his full attention. "Well, at Terran, there was always these stories of mini dragons that would fly around the beaches. Fire lizards. I went on many stupid adventures when I was a kid trying to find one; all the boys in the Hold did! My older brother even said he seen one, once." Then Lance sighed through his nose, a wistful smile on his face. "But that's stupid. Fire lizards don't actually exist."

Keith let this new information sink in. Fire Lizards. He had never heard of them, and he agreed they seemed like a child's tale, but if something like that existed it would explain everything. Or, at least, it would explain a lot. Rising, Keith hailed Palgan over.

"You said they're supposed to live on beaches?" He hopped onto Palgan, making himself comfortable. This was probably stupid, but chasing fantasy was the best they had right now. It was better than sitting around doing nothing. "You can't ride by yourself like that. Tell Asul where we're going and get up here."

Lance sputtered, indignant and confused, but he still threw his lanky leg over Palgan's back with a little help from Keith. Lance being taller made it a little awkward, but he could still reach his arms around the other man's waist to secure Lance in place. He was close and warm and smelled faintly of wood smoke and salt. It was pleasant. Palgan laughed in his mind.

_Don't be creepy, Mine. Mine isn't after flits, Mine is after Asul's!_ Keith almost outwardly scoffed at that, but instead just urged Palgan to take flight. A few beats and they were soaring, then they were Between. The absolute chill took his breath away. It always did. At least he had the comforting scent of Lance to fill his nose when they came out the other side.

The Southern Continent was hot and humid and uninhabited. At least, by Weyrs. There was one Hold, that wasn't even that if you looked at technicalities. They were a self sustaining people who served no Weyr but had no Weyr to serve them. Most of the people here were outcasts or runaways, brought here on boat or as punishment. Keith had only been a handful of times, but activity was bustling. More importantly, there was miles and miles of sunny shoreline that stretched far out into the distance. If they wanted to find something that lived on a beach, this was the perfect place to do so.

Keith didn't land at the small 'Hold', just had Palgan circle a few times before flying further south, down the shore. It was nice and warm as they flew, but Keith knew as soon as they landed it would be sweltering hot and humid. Lance said something, lost to the wind, and Asul was beside them, flying close to be with her rider. The sun glittered over the ocean waves, a deep blue that reminded him of Lance's eyes. He pushed the thought away.

Most of the land here was uncharted. Hot plain-land was further inland, flat but with thick and strong reeds and shrubs. Apparently before Threadfall had started, there used to be thickets of trees and vines. Already Keith could spot a few quick growing and hardy shoots of wood coming from the ground, and Keith could believe it. One would think that a land without dragon riders to protect it would be a barren wasteland, but everything was lush and green here. It was pleasant.

Palgan hummed in agreement, taking lazy wing-beats as he moved through the air. Then, with little warning, he dipped down and landed hard on the beach. Lance was jostled and yelped in surprise, almost falling off. Keith just tightened his grip around the other's waist and waited for Palgan to still. Asul landed next to them, beating up a puff of sand that Keith had to squint through to keep out of his eyes.

"Teach your dragon how to land, man!" Lance pulled from Keith's grip and scrambled down Palgan's side. Palgan just snorted, but Keith couldn't help the small smile that quirked on his face at Lance's red face and indignation. He slid off himself, and winced at the hot, muggy air that settled around them. It felt like moving through soup, uncomfortable, and Keith found himself wanting for his cool room back at the Weyr.

"He landed fine. Your fault for not holding on." He answered back smugly, but any real venom was kept out of his tone. Keith patted his Bronze on the side some, asking lightly why they had landed here. The 'Hold' was so far behind them it couldn't be seen, not even a speck in the distance, but that didn't mean they were that far away from human intervention. Keith was pretty sure he could see a fishing boat idling far out in the distance. This didn't seem remote enough for some hidden species of miniature dragons to be hanging around.

_Just felt like the right place, Mine._ Then Palgan pulled away, closer to Asul, and the two stretched out on the warm sands to warm their hides. Meanwhile, Lance had scoffed and motioned vaguely to his broken arm. Then, he raised his nose and rushed down the beach, as if he had better things to do.

Even if he was trying to act insulted, Keith could see the excited lilt to Lance's actions. The surf and sand had been part of Lance's home when he was a child, so being out here as he was right now must have been a good feeling. Keith was a little jealous. He wished he had a place like this to be wistful about, instead of remembering the grime and dirt from when he was a child. There was nothing fun about those memories.

"I think those two just wanted to rest." Lance muttered when Keith caught up with him, glancing back at the two dragons curled up together. It was strange to see this close that Asul was starting to get bigger than Palgan. Keith knew that Golds were the largest dragons out there, but she was promised to grow into a real beast at this rate. He wondered if she would ever get as large as Gadh.

"Yeah. Palgan's lazy." Keith smirked at the flare of resigned insult that flashed through his head, pleased with the reaction. He then glanced around the sands, listening to the water crash, and frowned. This just looked like a normal beach. He couldn't spot anything out of the ordinary, at least. "What are we looking for?"

"I don't know!" Lance rolled his eyes, nudging Keith lightly with his good arm. "These things probably don't even exist. This was a dumb idea."

"Yeah, it's pretty dumb." Keith very pointedly looked away from Lance's pouting face at his answer. "But, it's better than doing nothing."

They walked for a while after that, quiet and just watching the scenery. It was comfortable, and Keith was enjoying occasionally sneaking glance's at Lance's face. The taller man looked at peace, not sad and scared or even cocky like he had been the last few weeks. It was nice, seeing him like this. Keith was very aware of how close his hand was to Lance's good one, how just a little movement and maybe he could snag their pinkie's together.....

"Hey, so, like, remember that day you took me to Terran? And you said all that stuff about Asul's Flight? So, um, would you really not mind if-"

Keith felt a jolt of pure sorrow and terror go down his spine, strong enough that he lost his balance and almost tumbled into Lance. The brown haired man must have felt it too, from the look of anguish and shock that crossed his face. They stared, frozen, at one another for a heartbeat, then they jerked back and started running towards their dragons.

Palgan and Asul were both standing now, digging their claws into the sand and roaring loudly. It wasn't in anger, and they weren't hurt, but it was a song of sorrow that struck both riders down to their cores. Keith reached Palgan first, wrapping his arms around the Bronze's slender neck and pressing his face to the hide. He tried to whisper stilted assurances against his throat, his own breath catching as he gasped for breath. Tears leaked down his face, the misery of his dragon pouring into him and forcing the reaction. Blinking the tears out of his eyes, Keith glanced over at Lance to see he was in much the same shape, sobbing softly against Asul as he stroked her muzzle.

_She's dead!_ Palgan finally cried, loudly, his words raw even in the confides of Keith's mind. _She's dead she's dead she's dead!_ The mantra repeated over and over, quieter and quieter, until the roaring stopped. Palgan bowed his head low and Keith pressed his face against his dragon's. He didn't know what could have caused such a reaction. He was afraid to find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm so sorry this took so long! work really ate into a lot of my time the last few days, and i've not had a lot of time to seriously write or edit or anything like that. i hope you enjoy this chapter, at least! i won't be back on my normal posting schedule yet, but at least i should be able to get more out than before.
> 
> next chapter is when stuff starts to really hit the fan and the plot opens up a little more.
> 
> also, and this might be a weird question, but whose 'pov' would you rather have the smut scene written in? since i switch between lance and keith, either of them would be good. and, honestly, i have plans so you know what happens with both, but i just wanted to know which one you guys would actually prefer? it won't be until this 'arc' of the story is closer to the end, but i figured i would ask now instead of later. this question will be open to answer up until the scene itself happens, so don't be shy about putting your two cents in on a future chapter, too!
> 
> i thank you all for sticking with me, and i hope you enjoy this chapter! c:


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something bad is happening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so you guys know, I took a little creative liberty with how much the dragon-human bond effects each other in this chapter. From what I can remember (it has been a few years since I've read some of these books, after all) it never effected anyone as badly as described here except during Flight.

The return to the Weyr was frantic, and Lance was met with the sounds of mourning dragons as soon as he and Keith came from Between. He gripped onto Palgan harder, feeling the disquiet grow again from when Asul had been so upset on the beach. The landing was rough, and he and Keith were surrounded by roaring dragons and sobbing riders. Everyone was moving around in a flurry of panic, even the regular folk who weren't looked upon.

Lance tried to dismount, but instead felt himself be pulled down by a rough set of hands. His arm throbbed in dull pain, and he found himself being crushed in a hug of bodies from the riders around them. They clawed and pressed against him, looking with something like relief but they all still had a strange madness in their eyes. Clearly they were all overwhelmed by their dragon's emotions at the moment.

Then, Keith was pulling them back, dragging them away by collars or even the hair of their heads. He pushed Lance back so he was pressed against Palgan, then put his body between the small crowd of worried riders and Lance. Keith's face had an odd twist to it, anger but also something deeper than Lance couldn't place. With Keith there, the others seemed to regain some of their senses and backed away.

"Lance! Lance!" Shiro pushed through the cluster of people, looking frantic. His eyes held unshed tears, more in control than most of the others around them. Keith hesitated but then stepped aside for Shiro, who gripped Lance loosely by the shoulders and looked him over closely. "Are you hurt? Where have you been?"

"Out with Keith! What happened?" Seeing strong and confident Shiro in such a state caused a fresh coil of panic to bubble in his stomach. He pressed Asul for answers, but she was still too overcome with grief to offer any answers. Lance was on his own. He winced when Shiro dug his fingers into his skin too hard, upset his damaged arm.

Keith's hand shot out and gripped Shiro's, prying the Weyrleader's fingers away. Shiro narrowed his eyes at the dark haired boy for a moment, then relented and pulled Lance under his arm. He led Lance away quickly, sheltering him from the occasional rider who would come too close. Keith followed close on their heels.

"Altea Weyr." Shiro finally said, a hitch in his voice. They had reached the queen's chambers by this point, and Shiro seemed to be pulling him in the direction of Allura's rooms. Lance could hear loud sobbing as they came closer, and it made a pit drop in his stomach. Had something happened to Gadh? But, no, Asul soothed that thought away. Nothing was wrong with Gadh.

"What? Altea Weyr _what_?" Keith urged.

Shiro stopped, turning to face the two. He looked tired, like he just wanted to lay down and sleep. Looking away, the Bronzerider licked his lips and thought of how to answer.

"Alfor, his Weyrwoman, and another goldrider were just murdered."

Lance gasped, letting the information sink in. There was an urge, spurned on by Asul, and he ripped himself from their sides. He went into Allura's room and found her crying on the bed, loud wailing that didn't seem like Allura at all. He stalked over and then sat down, curling up by her side and pulling her down to his chest. She didn't calm down, but gripped his shirt and her cried were muffled.

Allura had just lost both of her parents, and the loss of two Golds, especially a Weyrwoman, was no doubt why the dragons were in such a state. Not to mention the loss of a Weyrleader and his Bronze as well. Even from far away, the dragons were still all connected, still had enough of a bond to the others to feel great losses like this. If this was how Voltron Weyr felt, how they were reacting, Lance hoped he never saw what would happen if Allura were killed. Altea must have been reeling.

Lance gently guided Allura to lay down, wrapping his arm around her and letting her curl up on his chest. Her crying slowly stilled and she fell into a fitful sleep, comforted by his presence. He felt Shiro and Keith's eyes on him, but just stared at the rocky ceiling as he processed this information.

\------

Poison. It had been poison. All three of the Goldriders had been targeted, but Alfor had taken the poison for the last by accident. The only one left living, now the official Weyrwoman until another Gold was Flown at Altea, was the ancient crone with the Gold who could not Fly anymore. That left Gadh, Asul, Balmera's Weyrwoman, and the Gold on Balmera's sand to be the only fertile Golds left living. This was a great blow for all of dragonkind.

"We didn't even know until it was too late." Coran said, voice low and resigned. The glows were covered, making the Harper's face look gaunt in the dim light. Allura still slept, but Shiro, Lance and Keith all sat at the table nearby. Coran had been busy running point with Altea's Harper for the last few hours, and had just now returned. His face was grave.

"They were eating dinner. It was the klah. Spiked with something. Alfor was teasing old Berernia and took her drink. Next thing we know, Alfor, Saice and Tutaya are stone dead on the floor. Then their dragons go Between and...." Coran trailed off, rubbing his face in his hands. He didn't need to say anything more for them to understand.

Lance stared at the table, trailing his fingers over the smooth stone as he took in Coran's words. While he and Keith were off playing on the beach, people were killed. If he was honest with himself, Lance knew that the two of them being at the Weyr or on the beach would make no difference; three riders and their dragons would still be dead. He couldn't help but feel some guilt.

"Did you not get anything? Find something out?" Keith's voice was rough as he spoke, anger flooding his words. Not anger at Coran, but more for the situation from the look of things. Coran sighed and shook his head.

"We found one of the drudges dead later on. Whoever it was disguised themselves. We don't know anything. At least a hundred people were in and out of the kitchen during dinner, not counting when the food was served in the dining hall. That pitcher of klah had to have traveled between twenty different hands before it reached them!"

"Do you at least know what they're after?" Shiro searched Coran's face, but the older man just frowned.

"We have our suspicions, but nothing solid righ-"

"Goldriders." Lance cut in. The other three men paused and looked at him, realization dawning on their faces. "Prorok was after Allura. The cups of klah were meant for the Altea Goldriders, but Berernia didn't drink hers."

"Now, Lance, we don't know for sure if that's it at all." Coran tried to interject, but you could practically see the cogs turning in his head. It was so simple, Lance honestly didn't know why no one had thought of it until right then. Grief could make it hard to think, though, so Lance guessed he wouldn't judge too harshly.

"We don't know, but it's better to be safe than sorry." Shiro's voice was firm, resolve in his tone. He still didn't look happy, but this was better than nothing. "Coran, send word to Altea and Balmera if they haven't figured it out already. Keith, I want you and at least two more riders here at all times. No one expect for us, Coran, and your two picks are to come around Lance or Allura. You understand?"

Keith nodded, then rose to his feet. Lance caught his eyes, saw fire and steel in them. It made a strange, warm feeling unfurl in his stomach.

"Of course. Lance," Keith turned to him, staring him down from his elevated position. "have Asul call for those two friends of yours. The Bronzerider girl and the Brownrider. They're trustworthy."

Lance nodded, then asked Asul to do what he asked. His gold was still deeply upset, but she sluggishly replied. He tried to push all his feelings of comfort and love into her. While Asul appreciated the sentiment, it did little to lift her mood.

Shiro and Coran exited the room quickly, off to do who knew what. Keith stepped away, going for the door, then paused and turned back around. He held out his hand to Lance, which the taller boy frowned at.

"Come on." It was the slight tremor in Keith's fingers, barely there, that made Lance take his hand. Keith pulled him up, then stared into his face. The touch lingered for a few moments too long, his hand squeezed in Keith's own. Then the dark haired man seemed to realize what he was doing, dropping him and looking away.

"My arms broken, not my leg." Lance tried to bite out, lighten the mood. It sounded hollow to his own ears. He swallowed hard. Keith took another step away from him, towards the door. His shoulders were back and he looked stiff. Lance felt the same way. He just wanted to sleep for a few days or maybe even turns.

Following Keith out, Lance glanced down the hallway before exiting the room. It looked so dark and uninviting now, as if the shadows would warp into someone ready to stab him in the back. It felt strange, knowing he was a target. He was a goldrider, and someone wanted him dead because of it. The whole thing was.... strange. Lance just wished he knew why, or who it was. The worst part was not knowing.

Keith led Lance down to his chambers, the dark haired man standing beside the doorway. Lance passed by and looked around him room. It was tempting to lay down, but instead he moved deeper, past another way that led into a very large and open room. It faced the cliffs, open but shaded, the only way to get in by flight. Asul lay down in the middle of the room, curled up. Palgan lay with her, but a small collection of Greens and Blues that Lance couldn't place was huddled with her, too. Lance imagined if he went to check on Gadh, he would see something similar.

Pushing through the small group, Lance stopped before Asul's slumbering form. He brushed his hands over her hide a few times, reminding himself that he needed to oil her tomorrow. The sands wouldn't have been kind to her and he would die before he let his partner get in bad condition. He sat down where he could make room, pressing against her side and laying down. He could hear her heartbeat, feel how warm she was, and he rose and fell in time with her breathing. Exhaustion overtook him and Lance was out like a light.

\------

_Mine, you need to wake up._ Soft chattering and a gentle pressure on his mind made Lance slowly wake, dragging him back to consciousness. He was warm and cozy and his mind fuzzy, but Asul just hummed in his mind again. There were lingering feelings of affection, of seeing something cute, and Lance tried to press for what. He shifted, then heard a soft sigh next to him and froze.

Keith was there, curled up next to him. Their noses were just a few inches apart, and Lance could feel every soft puff of warm breath on his cheek when Keith exhaled. It looked like most of the other dragons were gone and the scene had shifted. Asul was sitting up and Palgan was still wrapped around her, their tails intertwined. The two of them were getting flanked in by the two dragons. There was another, smaller, Bronze in the corner of the room watching closely, and a Brown who seemed to be sleeping. Lance blinked, dumbly, when the chattering started up again, growing louder.

".... -an't believe those two! Made us rush all the way up here to watch some stupid cuddle party! I thought they were in trouble!"

"Come on, Pidge, you know how Xanh likes to exaggerate. It was your own fault for believing him."

Lance sat up, pulling away from the warm nest of resting bodies. A blanket fell from his shoulders, which he wrinkled his nose at. An impulse to cover Keith with it flared inside of him, and before he thought it through he acted on it, tucking the other man in. Keith shifted, snuggling down into the blanket. He looked very.... peaceful like this. Lance took this as his chance to observe the other man in a way he normally couldn't. Keith was very handsome for a man, Lance couldn't deny it. However, for now, there was something almost childlike and soft since he was sleeping. His face was open in a way that Lance wasn't used to seeing, relaxed and unguarded. Keith always held such serious expressions, like the weight of the world was on his shoulders at all times. It was rare that Lance could coax anything resembling a smile from him, and laughter had been stilted at best. It was kind of sad.

But, Lance didn't have all day to gawk at the sleeping Bronzerider. It sounded like he had to fill in Pidge and Hunk. He rose, joints popping and sore, protesting laying in a strange position for so long. Wincing, Lance was careful to step over Palgan so he didn't wake the sleeping Bronze.

_Your friends are silly, Mine._ Asul whispered. There was still a hint of melancholy there, but she was doing better than earlier. Lance gave her a small smile, promising to give her the best oiling she had ever had later. She just hummed and laid her head down. Her long, golden neck twisted so it was pressed against Palgan's.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So far the consensus for the smut scene seems to be in Keith's favor. You guys can keep making suggestions for that, by the way. It's slowly getting closer, and I anticipate that in the next five or six chapters it might happen unless I really drag it out. Maybe even sooner than that, depending on how the mood strikes me.
> 
> I just want to clarify, for the smut scene, I won't be splitting the chapter into two for it. It'll be from primarily Keith's POV or Lance's, but not both. That's not to say it won't be touched on the chapter before or after the actual smut, just not in as much detail.
> 
> I also know whats going to happen during the scene (who tops, what happens, all that good stuff) all planned out, because its relevant both to their personal development and the story itself. It's not just smut for no reason, I promise. I could probably get away with not even writing it and the story still make sense, but.... what fun is that???


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took a few more creative liberties. :3c

Bad news stacked on to of bad news is all Keith felt like he was receiving. One would think that these mysterious killers would slow down after felling three noble riders in one day, but it wasn't even a Sevensday later that he was awoken with a start in the middle of the night. There was sorrow from Palgan, and his face was wet with tears, but there was also an unchecked and animalistic rage deep inside of himself. He pushed himself out of bed and staggered through the dark hallways, making his way to the Gold's chambers. Pidge was keeping watch, and their face was twisted up and they were breathing hard. The other Bronzerider must have been effected by their dragon, like Keith was effected by his.

They locked eyes and Pidge jerked their head back, down the hallway that Lance and Allura slept. However, both of them jumped when screaming started. It was not from fear, but guttural and angry, fury put into sound. It also wasn't coming from just one, but two voices. Keith and Pidge exchanged a look before taking off into sprints.

Keith paused at Allura's doorway since it was closest, peeking inside. He saw Allura and Shiro, both sleep addled and in a state of half undress. Shiro had the Weyrwoman by the arms, shaking her lightly and trying to get her to speak to him. She didn't seem like she could hold herself upright, wobbling and head lolling occasionally. Even so, she still made almost inhuman noises of outrage, all while trying to claw at her own face, or Shiro's arms, or whatever she could reach.

From farther down the hallway, a third and loud yelp sounded, this one of shock. Pidge, if Keith had to guess. He gave another look at the two in the room, then darted down to Lance's room. The state the male Goldrider was in didn't seem much better than Allura's, the look on his face not his own, but fueled by draconic fury. He had grabbed Pidge and was hoisting the other rider up by their shoulders, pushing them against the wall. He looked intent to kill, face dark and a snarl that didn't suit him in place.

It was hard to think through his own back splashes of anger from Palgan, but his fear for the smaller rider overcame Keith's urges to succumb. He rushed forward, tackling Lance and taking him to the floor before he could do any harm to Pidge, but found the attack focused on himself now. The daze from falling must have left Lance quickly, quicker than it left Keith, and pain blossomed from the dark haired man's cheek. He was pushed back, off of Lance and onto his back. Another fist was raised, ready to bash Keith in the face, but Pidge stopped it. They grabbed Lance's arm, earning a frightful cry from Lance as he tried to shake the smaller rider off. His damaged arm.

Keith took the momentary distraction to grab onto Lance, trying to roll the brown haired man over. It took a little effort between himself and Pidge, but Lance ended up face down on the floor, arms pinned behind his back as Keith effectively laid on top of him. Lance still struggled, panting hard, and Keith felt weariness seep into his bones. Palgan was not calmed in his mind, but was eerily silent.

With the immediate commotion stopped, Keith could more clearly hear the screaming of Asul. She was in her sleeping area, the room connected to Lance's. He couldn't see her, but it sounded like she was throwing a monstrous fit in there. Keith wondered if Gadh was doing the same wherever she was at.

"What just happened?" Pidge was breathing as hard as Keith or Lance were, slumped in the floor and leaning against the side of Lance's bed. They rubbed their face, wiping away a few beads of sweat that had gathered there. Keith was just as bewildered as Pidge was, and just shook his head. He didn't have the energy to talk, since Lance was still squirming under him and trying to get free.

"My babies! How dare you kill my babies!" The noise that tore out of Lance didn't seem like his own, voice too high and with a snarling edge. Just hearing it made Keith's throat hurt. The exact same phrase was echoed from back up the hall, in the same cadence, from Allura a moment later.

Lance stilled, going limp, flat on the floor. If it wasn't that Lance was close enough to hear his ragged panting, Keith would have thought him dead. Keith broke him grip, moving to turn Lance over. All Keith heard was the 'No!' from Pidge and Lance had broken free from him, giving Keith a bruising kick to stomach as he pushed himself up. Before Keith could wallow up Lance had ran for Asul's chamber. Pidge was already after him, so Keith got to his feet and moved to their side.

A blast of cold air was all that met him, both Lance and Asul going Between right as he entered. Palgan and Pidge's Xanh scrambled up the cliff face a moment later, pushing into the large opening for Asul to enter and exit from. Both of them were practically foaming at the mouth, eyes swirling with such a deep red-orange that it made Keith shudder.

"Come on!" That was all the urging Keith needed, going to hop on Palgan's back. Pidge mounted first and was in the air and Between, but it didn't take long for Keith and Palgan to follow. The cold was bracing, and Keith realized that he had no idea where they were going, but Palgan seemed to know even if he wasn't relaying it to his rider.

They came back into light a few heartbeats later, over top of Balmera. Where it had been the middle of the night at Voltron, it was early morning here. Plenty enough light to see how dragons were flying around as if crazed, the utter chaos that was it's bowl. Palgan flew down, but didn't land right away as Keith expected. He was heading for a set of cliff-caves above everything. To the hatching sands of this Weyr. He flew through, landed. Keith hopped off, and no sooner than his feet had touched the ground and Palgan as in the air again, almost knocking the dark haired man over.

If Keith thought the bowl looked bad, the sands were worse. There was no movement, no rushing of people, but Kieth wasn't ready for the sight before him. At least two dozen eggs, shattered, the stillborn dragonets laying lifeless on the ground in puddles of clear ooze. The worst was the gold egg, right in the middle. Someone had taken extra care to deface this one, the bodies of multiple girls that Keith knew were Candidates circled around the egg. Their throats were slit, and their pretty white Hatching garbs were on, now stained red. He shuddered, covering his mouth when the scent of copper hit his nose. He felt like he might be sick.

Three Golds were high above the sands, all perched and roaring in anguish. Keith knew the middle one was Ruco's Menran, the Weyrwoman of Balmera. Menran seemed to be the most distressed, and for rightful reason; this had been her clutch. To her left was Berernia's gold, the aging beast roiling around in anger but not able to keep up with the younger Golds. He was surprised that she was here at all, as hard as it was for her to get around. The smallest of the three was to Menran's right, and Keith knew it to be Asul. She was as full of anger and displaying it as well as the other two dragons were. It truly was a frightening sight.

"Lance?" Keith looked around, needing to know where the other man was. If something like this had just happened, Lance could be in danger. He didn't know where Pidge was, either. Keith felt very much on his own.

Muffled sobbing caught his ear, and Keith set out for the rider's stands above the eggs. He took the steps two at a time, not even caring when he almost tripped a time or two in his rush. At the top he found Lance, Ruco and Berernia. The three were huddled together, arms around each other and crying against the other two. Pidge was hovering nearby, unsure of what to do, as well as Thace, the Weyrleader of Balmera, and a female rider than Keith didn't know. The three glanced over at Keith, and he stalked over smoothly.

"By the red star, what is going on?" Keith walked over to Thace getting right in the older man's face. Palgan's rage was boiling up again, but he was also as angry and confused himself. He was also worried about Lance, and something about seeing Thace, calmly looking on as the three weyrwomen cried and this mess was in front of him, really set Keith off.

Thace looked Keith up and down instead of giving him an answer right away, some type of recognition that the younger rider didn't understand clicking into place. Thace stepped back, so Keith wasn't in his space anymore. He gestured broadly to the carnage below.

"Nyma happened." Was all he offered, a worry line forming on his face. He looked away, his eyes somewhere faraway. "She's dead now. Menran saw to that." He was quiet again, contemplative. "Let's get them to safety."

Thace moved for the pile of crying Goldriders, tugging Ruco to her feet and into his arms. She clawed weakly for the other two Goldriders, but Thace just tugged her away and positioned her against his chest. He motioned for them to follow before starting to walk away with Ruco. The rider that Keith didn't know went for Berernia, helping the elderly woman to her feet. Keith moved for Lance, who had curled in on himself without the other two riders. He latched onto Keith like a child would, pressed heavy and hot against his side.

"Pidge." The younger rider had moved to help him, but seeing Keith had it instead hovered nearby. They stepped closer, and Keith waited for the others to get a few steps away before he spoke again. "Go tell Shiro what happened. Then, go talk to Coran. I'll stay here with Lance."

At his name, the other man whimpered in Keith's arms. Standing, Keith was careful to guide him in the direction that Thace had gone. Lance seemed to be coming to himself again, blinking blearily as he looked around.

"My arm hurts." Lance muttered in a shaky breath. Keith glanced down to the brown haired man, seeing how he cradled his broken arm. It was still only half healed, and he must have lost his brace sometime during his fit earlier. The wrestling match they had and then his midnight ride must have made it worse. Lance would need to see a healer first thing.

"Thace." Keith called to the other man, who was quite a ways ahead of them. Thace paused, looking back. His expression was blank and oddly cool. Still, Keith continued. "I'm taking Lance to your healer." Thace nodded at that, then went ahead.

Even if it had been a long time, the healer was easy for Keith to find. The old man sat the two of them down and looked over Lance's arm. There wasn't much he could do, but a new brace and a good dose of fellis juice later and Lance was in better shape. They made their way to the Goldrider's chambers after, finding it oddly dark and quiet. Thace was out in the hallways, and haled for the two to come over.

"Lance can borrow this room for a while. You're more than welcome to house with our Bronzeriders, tonight, Keith." Thace looked like he had more to say. However, Keith was impatient. He started to move to the side, so he could lay Lance down and let him rest. "Do you know a woman named Brale?" The Weyrleader pushed out in a rush. Keith stopped, jerking slightly as he whipped his head around. That was a name he hadn't heard in a long, long time.

"That was my mother's name." Keith gave Thace another once over, closer than before. His hair was dark, like his own, even if it was peppered with age. His eyes were such a cloudy gray they looked almost purple. Similarities blared in his mind, but before Keith allowed any fancy to settle in his thoughts he pushed it away. "She's dead." Is all he offered before shoving past the other man and into Lance's borrowed room.

Laying Lance down, Keith was careful as he covered him up. At least Lance still had his sleep clothing on. Speaking of, Keith still had his own on, and at least had the decency to feel a smidgen embarrassed by it for a tick. Lance was already mostly blissed out on the fellis juice, and seemed about asleep as Keith pulled away. He stepped back, so he could go to his own room.

"Keith." Lance slurred out, making Keith pause. He turned back, meeting those bright blue eyes with his own. "Stay with me." Lance inched over in the bed, then pulled the blankets back. Keith glanced down at him, how vulnerable he looked. Lance must have still been very bothered by all that had happened. That must have been the only reason he was even offering.

Sighing, Keith stepped back to the edge of the bed and sat down. Lance seemed content, and gave a bright smile before closing his eyes. It made Keith's heart flutter as he laid down and covered up. Goldrider's beds were larger, to accommodate two people, but Lance was taking up so much room he still had to press himself against the other man to fit. He could feel Lance's warmth through the thin bedclothes they had on.

Keith ended up sleeping peacefully, despite all that had happened. His arm fit around Lance's waist like it was meant to be there, and he only felt a little bitter that he wouldn't get to feel it again come morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With any luck, not next Keith chapter but the one after that we should have our smut! Yay!
> 
> More bad stuff has to happen first, but at least it's slowing down a little for a while. Next chapter should be the last of what I'm calling the 'death arc' of chapters.
> 
> I love the Galra!Keith headcanon. I'm not sure how I feel about the 'Thace is his Dad' one, but I figured it fit for what I had in mind with this fic. It's all implied anyway, so you can just ignore it if you really don't like it.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One last fall before the storm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter was supposed to be out like three days ago >:c 
> 
> i have a real love-hate relationship with my job, and it's what caused it to be late. i love what i do and it's super emotionally rewarding! i love working with kids and feeling like i'm making a difference! however, i HATE how erratic and all over the place my hours are. it can make getting chapters out reliably hard when you suddenly have to work a double or get called in on your days off.
> 
> so, basically, sorry about promising this and then not delivering when i said! i promise its not all my fault. :c

Lance opened his eyes and felt a dull throb ripple up his arm. It landed in his head, making a migraine surge to life with force. He was exhausted and his whole body ached. The Goldrider wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep. He couldn't, though, because what had woken him in the first place was Asul. She nudged him gently into consciousness.

_Mine, Menran is gone._ Asul's voice was strained and weary. She was clearly just as tired as he felt. The words still felt nice as they echoed in his mind, lessening the headache. There was a small pang of sadness, but it was hollow and resigned. Asul fed him some vague images and feelings he didn't understand that related to the Weyrwoman's passing. _I'm sorry, Mine. I'm so, so sorry._

Lance sighed and focused on the mutual comfort that he and his dragon were giving each other, but was pulled back to the physical with a soft groan and movement behind him. Warmth was pressed against his back, and a heavy arm thrown over his body. The Goldrider stiffened and moved his head enough to look behind him. All he saw was a head of dark hair. He could feel a nose nuzzling the nape of his neck and warm breaths against his shoulder.

"Keith?" Lance drew it out slowly, a hopeful question more than anything. Yes, he _wanted_ it to be Keith behind him. Mostly because Lance wasn't sure what he would do if it was some mysterious and dark haired man holding him tight in bed like a lover. With Keith it would be awkward later, but at least Lance trusted him.

"Hm?" Keith grumbled in his sleep, nosing closer to Lance's throat. He curled up behind him, flush against every inch of the Goldrider's back and the curve of his rump. If Lance would have guessed that anyone was a cuddler, it wouldn't have been Keith. He shifted to pull away again, earning another groan from the other man before the grip slackened.

"Wake up!" Lance tried again, harsher than intended. A half awake Keith flinched away as he sat up, bleary eyed but ready for a fight. He looked around before relaxing, blinking down at Lance dully. A complicated look passed over the dark haired man's face, then he pulled back and out of the bed. Lance almost missed the warmth he had provided.

"Are you alright?" Keith's voice was thick with sleep. He wiped his eyes and yawned wide. Lance took the chance to get a good look at him. Keith's cheek seemed to be bruised, along with a few marks on his arms. Lance suddenly realized just how sore he himself felt, especially his half healed arm. He also didn't know where he was, or how he got here.

"Where are we?" Lance tried to think back to the last thing he could remember. He had laid down for bed and was on his way to unconsciousness. Then he woke up because anger was bleeding over into him from Asul. After that was a blank. Well, he could remember flashes now that he thought about it, but none of them made sense. It was all a jumbled up mess in his own mind.

"Balmera. Do you really not remember anything?" Keith sat on the edge of the bed, leaning on his knees. He looked tired. Lance felt tired, too, but he knew he didn't feel as tired as Keith looked right then. There were bags under the other man's eyes so dark they were almost black, and he looked unkempt and greasy. "Menran's eggs were smashed last night, you and Allura went nuts because of your dragons, you came here.... shit." Keith sighed, shaking his head.

"Menran and Ruco went Between. We need to get back to Voltron right now." Keith sat up again and offered his hand to Lance. Lance took it without hesitation, letting the other man pull him up and standing. He sought out Asul in his mind, thankful to find that her and Palgan were nearby. Huddled up in the other room, actually, this wing of Balmera with a similar setup to his own room back at Voltron.

Lance peeled his hand away from Keith's and went to his dragon. Her scales were dull and she had a rough spot on her side. Lance promised quietly to take good care of her when they got back home. Hauling himself up on her, he tried to make sense of what she had relayed to him when he woke up.

Menran and her rider, the current Weyrwoman of Balmera were gone. In the wake of all this death, of seeing her clutch get destroyed, both rider and dragon became depressed. They fed off of each other's negativity, then... chose not to be alive anymore. It wasn't the same sudden and unexpected explosion of emotion from when others had died. They chose their fate, so the mourning for the dragons was not as pronounced. Plus, they were all tired of being upset. The dragons were all devastated in their own way.

Lanced braced for the chill of Between. He tried not to look down at the mess the Balmeran weyrbowl was in, how all the riders and dragons seemed lost without their Weyrwoman. Instead he closed his eyes and let Between take him. A few heartbeats later he was back in Voltron. It was dark. Buraku, Xanh and Melyn rose to meet them in the air, guiding the two dragons down and back into the bowl. When they landed and Lance was off of Asul, warm arms wrapped around him tightly. Lance found him body squeezed and smashed against Hunk's thick frame.

"We were so worried about you guys!" Hunk started. Keith jumped from Palgan and gave them a look. Lance noticed how his face twisted up, like the dark haired man had tasted something nasty. Lance looked away from him and instead did what he could to hug his best friend back. It felt like it had been too long since he had last seen Hunk, even though it had been little more than a day.

"Allura and Shiro need you." Keith cut in when he approached. He eyed Hunk's grasp on Lance, gray eyes stormy. The Bronzerider was looking anywhere but Lance and Hunk. Hunk frowned and put Lance down reluctantly.

"Yeah, Thace is here. He got here... not long ago, actually. Maybe an hour?" Hunk shook his head, rubbing his chin as he thought. "Just demanded to talk to Shiro and Allura. Probably still up there."

"I'd rather go crawl back in bed." Lance muttered to himself. A stern look from Keith was all it took to shut him up, but he still gave a heavy sigh and rolled his eyes. "Fine, whatever, just don't give me that look. I'm going."

Asul fed him that they were in Allura and Shiro's chambers, and that Thace was indeed still there. She seemed anxious, which made Lance feel the same. It was never a good time when his gold was upset over something. He made his way there as quick as he could, Keith on his heels. Which was weird, since they had asked for _Lance_ and not the Bronzerider.

"Sorry, Keith." Pidge was guarding the Gold's wing, like they did every night. They had let Lance pass by no problem, but was standing in Keith's way. There was no way that Pidge could take Keith in a fight, but they still held their ground against their fellow Bronzerider. Lance glanced back to see the two getting into a heated exchange, but he continued on his way without Keith. Whatever was going on, he wanted to get this over with.

When Lance entered the room, he found Allura and Shiro sitting on one side of a table and who must have been Thace at the other. Whatever conversation they were having had been cut short, but Allura looked angry and Shiro frustrated. Thace looked calm, face blank. They all turned to face him, and Lance narrowed his eyes at the Balmeran Weyrleader.

Lance had never seen Thace up close before, at least that he could remember. He looked.... like Keith. _A lot_ like Keith, actually. His hair was a little shorter, face a little sharper, and eyes a different color, but it was like staring at an older version of his friend. It was almost like the two were related. Lance didn't know much about Keith's raising, so he wouldn't put it past the other man to be a prodigy child of a Weyrleader. Practically destined for greatness.

Either way, Lance sat himself down next to Allura. She held out her hand and wrapped it around his own, squeezing tight. A sign of comfort, but for himself or her he didn't know. He also couldn't place why either of them would need it.

"Lance," Shiro started. His eyes were firm, flinty like when he was making tough choices. Lance had seen that look while the Weyrleader was handing out punishments or about to fight off Thread. "With Ruco's... passing, we have a Weyr without a Goldrider." Shiro glanced at Allura, who squeezed tighter. "As the only free weyrwoman at any of the Weyrs, you need to go and fill that spot, Lance."

"Fear not." At that, Thace cut in. His voice was just as cold as the rest of him, unfriendly as he stared at Lance impassively. "I will act as Weyrleader until Asul makes her first Flight. I will also not share quarters with you. You will inherit the Weyrwoman's chambers, and I will move in with the rest of the Bronzeriders."

Thace rose from his seat slowly, nodding to the three riders before him. "I will be waiting in the bowl for your departure." Was the last thing he said before he left. Lance stared down at his hands. He saw more than felt the vice-like grip he has on Allura's hand.

"Lance....." She started.

"I don't want to go." He cut in. It was hard enough deal with.... all of what was happening surrounded by his friends and the support of his Weyrwoman and Weyrleader. Now he was being asked to go to a strange place he didn't know. Being a weyrwoman and a Weyrwoman were different things, even if they shared the same name. Lance couldn't do what Allura did. Plus, when Asul flew, he wouldn't _know_ the dragons or riders like he knew those here. He didn't want to end up in bed with someone he didn't know. He had even hoped that maybe Keith or Pidge's Bronzes would Catch Asul. That way at least it was someone he trusted. Or, better yet, no one would Catch the Gold and he wouldn't have to deal with any of it. At Balmera, with being a Weyrwoman, Asul would have to be Caught every time she Flew or a new Weyrleader couldn't be chosen.

That last thing Lance wanted was Thace, that not-Keith who was old enough to be his father, to Catch and bed him. He didn't even seem bothered that Ruco was gone, and they had been partnered for almost twelve turns! He didn't want to feel unimportant like that.

"I...." Lance started again. His eyes burned but he didn't want to cry. It was stupid. This wasn't what he wanted. He also knew it was what was needed. Only three Goldriders left alive after the devastation of the past months, and three Weyrs to be filled with eggs regularly. It was bad enough that one of those three Golds couldn't even lay eggs anymore. Gadh or Asul's first Gold would be sent off to Altea as soon as it Impressed. Whoever got her would have their life chosen for them, too.

Pulling his hand from Allura's, Lance walked slowly back to his room. He didn't have much with him, but what little he did have he packed in a small leather bag. Asul nudged at his mind but he was too upset to answer her. Doing the right thing and what he wanted to do were two very different things.

Asul was curled up in her room, and Lance gave her a light scratch on the muzzle before mounting her. She was getting so big now. It would just be another few weeks and she would be ready for her first Flight. Time had crept up on him. Lance had been so content here, the idea of being put with someone didn't even cross his mind like it had before. Now it was all he could think about.

_I won't let them get me, Mine._ She cooed out before she leaped out of the cave-mouth, large wings unfolding as she took flight. She circled the bowl and went down slower than normal. Lance took this chance to take in one last look at his home, to try and memorize every little detail. _I'm fast, and they can't Catch me!_

Thace was waiting below, but so was Keith. Keith was in Thace's face, whoever in the bowl was staring. The large Bronze behind Thace was growling lowly at Keith, but Palgan was right behind Keith and wasn't backing down from the larger dragon. The dark haired man was red in the face and fists clenched tight at his sides. Asul landed heavy between the two dragons and their riders, forcing them to look at her and not each other.

"Lance!" Keith was at his side, practically pulling him off of Asul when he climbed down. He held onto Lance's shoulders, scowling. "You can't be serious. You can't be going _with_ him." Keith said it slow, giving Lance a small shake as if that would give him some sense. Lance pulled back a little, into Asul's hide and out of his grasp.

"I am. They need me, Keith." He tried to sound as serious and sure as he knew he was supposed to, but Lance heard the tremble in his own voice. He knew that Keith heard it too from how his face twisted up. Lance didn't give the Bronzerider a chance to argue or talk him out of it. "I have to do this."

Lance turned to hop back onto Asul, but paused. An urge struck him, and he hated himself for having it, but he also figured that he might as well act on it. Lance wouldn't be in Voltron much longer and the only chance he would have to see his friends was maybe during hatchings or summits. Even then, he would be too busy for them if he was anything like Allura.

Giving his attention back to Keith, ignoring the other man's hurt expression, Lance leaned in and pressed a kiss to Keith's cheek. Lance didn't wait to see what Keith did, closing his eyes and on top of Asul before he opened them again. When he did, Asul was in the air, then the cold of Between hit his face and he was alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i don't like this chapter very much. its one of those 'need to be there' chapters to move to the next arc of the story. it was hard for me to write and also felt forced when i did. at least the next few chapters will be better. and we're closer to the smut chapter! hurray!
> 
> also, some of you guys hit the nail right on the head with where i was going with this. i'm proud. <3
> 
> also, if you guys are intersted in heavy angst nonsense, i just posted the first chapter of a new fic called [Saudade](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7997332/chapters/18306541)! why not accept this shameless plug and check it out, if you're into that sort of thing. it has witches, grieving, character death and klangst! yay!


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith is upset.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so... hear me out.... up until this point I TOTALLY FORGOT to link the song I listen to the most when writing/this fic is named for??? I'm so stupid???
> 
> Anyway, it's [Gold Dust](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t10s26GsWvY) by Galantis. One of my faaaaavorite groups. I love pretty much all their songs so listen to them a lot for me, kay?

Keith watched Lance and Asul fly away in muted shock. Somehow he found his finger touching the spot that Lance had kissed. It felt oddly warm and he could still feel the faint ghost of where the Goldrider's lips had pressed against it. The whole thing had been unexpected and quick. Before Palgan was able to prod the Bronzerider's mind back into some working order, Lance and Thace were gone. He felt something bitter rise up in the back of his throat at that but knew he had no right to argue or follow.

Even if Keith wanted so badly in the moment to mount Palgan and fly after Lance he knew it was better to let him go. This was clearly a choice Lance had made, and it was also logical to make. Balmera would be in shambles without a Gold to lead them and Asul was the only free Gold left. However, just because Keith understood the reason for Lance's choice that didn't mean he had to like it.

So, Keith mounted Palgan anyway, his dragon at his side before the dark haired man even thought to call for him, and he went Between. The feeling of the cold made him realize how suddenly icy he felt in his chest. At least the lapping of ocean waves and the hot beach sun met him on the other side.

The beach that Lance and himself had last visited, before the first murder and all this mess had started, was much the same as when they had left it. Grooves were bitten into the abandoned shore from wind and animals. Palgan landed in a similar spot as the first time, just a bit more up the beach this time. He claimed that this was what they were looking for, but Keith didn't press for answers. It was too hard to control the white hot anger churning in his gut from the memory of how soft Lance's lips had been.

Keith wanted to punch something or someone or anything. He tore off of Palgan and stomped down the beach with no destination in mind. This place was just making him think of Lance and he wondered why Palgan had brought him here in the first place. With nowhere to go and no desire to go back to the Weyr yet, Keith sat down heavily in the middle of the sand and looked out at the water. It was lovely and blue, just like Lance's eyes, so Keith closed his own and laid back instead. He would hate himself later when the grit of sand couldn't be shaken out of his clothes or hair but for now, this was what he wanted. It was so warm and he was so very tired suddenly. He was asleep before he even realized it was a possibility.

The sounds of tittering was what woke Keith up, hours later. It was dusk and at some point, he had rolled over onto his side. Grit filled his mouth and gummed up his eyes, but he rubbed it away quickly. His skin felt tight and he knew that he would have a sunburn when he returned to the Weyr. Overall, his day had just become worse.

The chattering and squeaking continued, prompting Keith to finally sit up. When he did, the noise abruptly stopped. That didn't stop him from seeing a tiny body slither into a hole he hadn't even realized was there. He could have passed over it fifty times and never seen it. Hell, when he and Lance had been here last they hadn't noticed it and there had been two of them at the time. Standing, he made his way over to the hole. It was dug from a hard patch of sandstone and partially covered with a rock. He kicked the rock out of the way, earning a sharp hiss from deeper inside.

One hiss from a potentially dangerous or poisonous animal wasn't enough to deter Keith. Dropping to his knees, he shoved his arm down the hole without a second thought. It was surprisingly hot inside and he couldn't fathom why. Before he could put too much thought into it, his hand ran over something smooth buried in sand and he felt pain like being scratched and bitten. He clamped down around the object in question and pulled his hand out quick.

It looked like a miniature dragon egg, His hand was now scraped and bitten to pieces so he was getting drops of blood on the pearly white shell. Keith shoved the egg into the bag on his hip and suddenly something small and gold was in his face. It looked like a dragon, kind of, only much smaller and much angrier. She screeched loud and tried to claw at his face but he backed away and covered himself. It earned him a scratch on the arm. The little not-dragon didn't seem to want to let up, which led Keith to run for Palgan as quickly as he could. The little Gold tried to snap at him and pulled at his hair all the way until the large Bronze stood up and let out an annoyed grumble. That seemed to shut the little Gold up, but not before she gave one last hiss and flew back to her hole.

Keith stared at where the Gold had gone back into hiding, then he reached into his bag and touched the smooth shell again. A Firelizard, Keith thought was what Lance had called them. Something tiny and like a dragon that could pass messages along without anyone knowing. Could this really be the answer?

Keith wasn't so sure, but that didn't stop him from getting on Palgan's back so he could go back to the Weyr. He worried for the egg in his pouch Between, but when he returned he found it to still be decently warm. It had been buried in sand, and if it was really like a dragon then it needed to be somewhere warm and safe.

Keith made his way to his room, ignoring a concerned Pidge and Hunk who were waiting for him the bowl. The two gave each other looks that Keith couldn't name, but he was much too concerned with the egg. Lance had been right. Lance had been onto something instead of just being an airhead. It seemed to take much too long to fill a warming pot in his room with sand and make a fire in a small pit to sit it over. He placed the egg in the sand and covered it up, hoping this would be enough to keep it warm and make it hatch. Now he just needed a plan on how to keep whatever came out of it long enough to show Lance next time he saw him.

\------

Keith awoke a few mornings later uncomfortably sticky and hot. Sweat beaded on his skin so that his sleeping clothes stuck to him and his hair was wet. The warm feeling of arousal sat in his groin; he wasn't hard, but it was the peculiar feeling that it would be very easy to get there if he put his mind to it. He licked the salt off his lips and sat up in bed as he poked Palgan with his sleep-addled mind.

_Gadh is Flying._ Was what Keith got for his efforts. He scowled at this, his dragon sending him images of almost every Bronze in the Weyr Chasing after the large Gold. The only one who seemed to be absent was Palgan himself, who was sending these images from the ground. Maybe Palgan had already tried to give Chase and given up?

_Rude!_ Palgan chastised as soon as the thought crossed Keith's mind. _We both know I'm so fast I could Catch whoever I wanted. I just don't want Gadh._ Rider picked up on a few complicated feelings from his dragon. Mostly Keith was able to pick up on an underlying heartbreak. It had been no secret in the Weyr that Palgan had been sweet on Asul. So, with her gone, the Bronze had been moping. It was odd that he would even skip giving Chase since it was clearly affecting him- the only reason Keith was in the state he was had to do with Palgan feeling urged to Fly and Mate. At least it spared Keith another awkward encounter with a Greenrider later when the need was burned off and both Bronze and rider sated.

_If Gadh is Flying, then Asul will Fly soon, too, Mine._ Palgan spoke sagely and Keith knew he was speaking the truth. Another month or so, perhaps, but soon enough. Too soon for the dark haired man's liking, if he was being honest. The next summit wouldn't be for another two months at least with all the murders and negativity between Weyrs and Holds. Keith had hoped to see Lance then and know he hadn't been through a Flight with Asul yet. It left a bitter taste in his mouth to think about Lance being with some other man. It was almost as bad as the negative feelings he got from Palgan at Asul being with another Bronze.

Either way, Keith knew he couldn't wallow in bed all day. He got up and went to check the egg in the fire, turning it like he had seen Gadh down with her own eggs before covering it back up. He cleaned up and got dressed before moving out into the hallway.

Soft breathy noises and the occasional moan or groan met his ear from a few other rooms around Keith's own. Most of the other Bronzeriders lived here, and he would guess a few of their dragons had already dropped out of the Chase and found other ways the relieve themselves. Which meant that in the next few months, Keith would guess a baby boom would be happening with the female Riders. He didn't expect to see anyone else in the hallway but found Pidge sitting in their doorway. They fanned themselves and looked just as flushed and sweaty as himself.

"Palgan isn't Chasing?" They raised a brow and Keith shrugged. He didn't feel like explaining that his dragon was lovesick enough to ignore basic biological urges. It's not like he couldn't ask the same thing about Xanh. If Pidge was here and in their right mind like he was then their Bronze wasn't chasing either. "Xanh knows I'm repulsed by the idea." Pidge answered the question that Keith hadn't asked.

"Buraku's going to Catch her anyway. I don't know why Gadh even bothers to call the other Bronzes to her." It was better to move past the awkward questioning so Keith did. It was true, though. Gold's only let themselves be Caught by Bronzes they found worthy, and that usually had a lot to do with how the Goldrider felt about the Bronzerider's Chasing her queen. It wasn't very often you got a Gold being Caught by a Bronze id their Rider's didn't get along. Weyrwomen like Allura also had an extra layer to think about, because whoever Caught would be the acting Weyrleader until the next Flight. So she had to find someone she was compatible with as a person but also a good leader. Sometimes personal sacrifices were made for those reasons. It made Keith a little jealous that Shiro and Allura seemed like a match made in the stars.

"Good to see you come out of your hole for more than just food." Pidge ignored Keith's conversation change with one of their own. The smaller Rider stood, wiping a layer of sweat off their forehead on the back of their hand as they did. Keith frowned. Just because he had been spending more time in his room didn't mean anything. He needed to watch the egg, after all, to see if Lance had been right or not about his theory. That was it. "You've been too miserable because your boyfriend had to leave. Lance and Hunk were practically an old married couple and he isn't as tore up about it as you are!" Pidge scoffed and rolled their eyes.

"Hunk goes to Balmera on business a lot. He can see Lance when he wants." The dark haired man crossed his arms, and he wasn't pouting. Even if it happened to look like he was Keith knew very well that he wasn't. Pidge just gave a little 'tsk' and raised a brow.

"You know, I bet if you asked Shiro he would say you can visit. I know you have a lot to work to do here being Weyrsecond and all, but everyone could use a break, Keith." Pidge shrugged and started to walk away, only waiting for a step or two to make sure that Keith followed. When they saw that he was, they continued talking. "Fro what Coran said, this isn't exactly something Lance wanted to do. I bet he would be happy to see your greasy ass."

"I'm not greasy." Keith muttered. They both paused when a Bronzerider tumbled by, already practically having sex with a Greenrider woman there in the hallway. When they ducked into a room Keith started to speak again. "Lance has better things to do than entertain me for a few hours. You see how busy Allura is all the time. She barely has time to sleep. Lance must be running himself ragged in Balmera since he doesn't have half the sense that she does."

His answer earned a short laugh from Pidge. It was kind of funny to think about Lance being in any type of position of power, but he was now. Was Lance doing well there? Keith hadn't heard of the place burning to the ground yet so it couldn't have been too bad. Even if Keith didn't like Thace the man knew what he was doing and would guide the Goldrider to the best of his abilities. Plus, when people wouldn't judge Lance as being 'the male Goldrider' before they even knew him, he had a natural charisma that drew people in. Keith could only hope that Lance was flourishing in his new environment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time, we see how Lance is doing at his new Weyr ; )


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shay is a hero.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for a little bit of smut at the end! Not the whole shebang, just a little. :3c
> 
> I'm going to go ahead and up the rating again for this chapter! It's Explicit now everyone! We did it!

Lance was not flourishing in his new environment.

The few tacked on lessons Allura had given the brown skinned man about running a Weyr wasn't anything like what he was being put through. The white haired woman had always spent a lot of time running around and getting everything perfect and ready. Allura made sure both that Gadh was cared for and that there were little to no issues at Voltron. She was a good leader and Lance could honestly admit he didn't have half of the ability that she had in her little finger.

What Lance was treated to was a lot of sitting around and not much else. Thace had cleared out of the Weyrwoman's Chamber even if he was still acting Weyrleader. Thace ran a lot of things and kept Balmera in tip top shape, even with the recent attack. Security had been upped, at least, and if Thace himself wasn't hovering around Lance then his Wingsecond Sendak or a Brownrider named Rolo were. He was kind of just expected to sit still and look pretty from what he could gather.

Which was honestly very frustrating. Lance had tried, multiple times, to engage the Weyr or pick up a few spare tasks here and there. His arm was mostly healed by now and he wasn't some child who needed to be looked after. Most of the people here were very reserved and distant, too, as if they didn't know what to think of Lance. He knew that he came too soon after tragedy and people were bitter he was here. Lance was bitter he was here, too.

Many of the Bronzeriders, Sendak included, would sometimes be caught staring at Lance with a hungry look in their eyes. The brown haired man knew what it was about. It wasn't him they wanted, but the position they would be granted when Asul took Flight. Thace had been Weyrleader here since before Lance was even born. This was a good chance for any ambitious Bronzeriders to finally take over his postion.

It made Lance feel like a bargaining chip or a stepping stone. It also just felt disgusting. These people were willing to use Asul's and his own body just to get what they wanted. He knew very well that when Asul took Flight he would feel the urges that she did. It would be stupid to think that whoever Caught her wouldn't be very tempting at the moment.

_That is why no one will Catch me, Mine._ Sighing, Lance gave a mental pat to his Gold when she spoke. She had been doing almost nothing but sleep for the last few days. It was rare she spoke to him. Without her presence in his mind, it was even lonelier being here than it had been for the last month.

A bought of restlessness overtook Lance and he stood to make his way to the Weyrbowl. It got too boring being in his room all day and maybe Shay was busy with her Green. Shay was very kind to him; she was really the only person who seemed to have no ulterior motive for it. He liked her and was glad that she and Hunk seemed to fancy each other. They made a lovely couple.

"Ah, Lance." Shay lifted her hand to wave at Lance when he made his way over to her. He was glad that he was in luck. Shay was busy with her Green as he had expected. It seemed the grumpy beast needed a good oiling since that's what the girl was doing. "Is Asul still asleep?"

"Yeah, she's been super lazy the last few days." Lance shook his head and rolled his eyes, sending a small jab at his sleeping dragon. He sat down next to Shay's Green. Polite conversation filled the air for a few minutes. It made Lance relax and forget his troubles for a while.

"Do you miss Voltron?"

The question was sudden, breaking away from shared stories of Hunk or favorite meals. It stung, just a little, for it to be brought up. Shay must have seen it on Lance's face because an apology was on her tongue before he could even answer. The air turned sour and awkward for a few minutes more.

"I do." Finally, Lance conceded. He missed Voltron a lot. Even if his whole position was weird and it was rocky at the start of his Riding career, he had made a few new friends and at least knew where he stood with things. He also didn't have the constant pressure that told him he was just a tool that was going to be used when Asul Flew. Her first Flight would have been strange in any Weyr, but it had more meaning now and Lance hadn't even descided if he liked that or not. "I miss my friends."

"Like Keith?" Shay stopped oiling her Green and took a seat next to Lance. She carefully wiped her hands off on a spare cloth. Her eyes were down and he knew she wasn't meeting them on purpose. "Hunk talks about him sometimes. He said that Keith had been acting weird since you left. That he's been spending a lot of time alone or going to some beach in the South like he's looking for something."

"I miss everyone." Lance didn't know why he needed to act like Keith wasn't one of the people he missed the most. Pidge and Hunk were his best friends and were like family to him. Still, one of the things that Lance missed the most about Voltron was getting a chance to pester or argue with Keith daily. It made a complicated warmth spread in his chest at the thoughts of the other man.

Something else warm was spread in Lance's chest, too. He made a strangled noise and clenched a fist over his heart. The brown haired boy closed his eyes so tight he saw stars behind them. Shay's hand was on his shoulder but he didn't even register it until she pulled him standing. A loud roar pierced the Weyr, coming from the Gold's chambers. Heat and violence and rage and desire flooded Lance's body.

This wasn't the same as when Asul had been angry and had torn that Blue apart when he was hurt. This wasn't eve the same as when she was in a mourning, hivemind rage over the destruction of the Clutch. This was something primal and bestial. His sweet, innocent Asul was gone from his mind when he tried to grasp out to her. In her place was something deadly whose only goals in life were to fuck, kill and eat.

"Lance! Lance!" Shay was shaking him, but it was hard to see her. His vision was swimming. Lance knew very well that if the girl hasn't been holding onto him so tight he would have fallen. He blinked and it was like he was teleported to the hunting grounds. His legs were moving on their own and Shay was pulling him by the arm, so he knew he had blacked out for a minute or two. Gold glimmered above in the morning light, Asul circling a large stag. Three more had been slaughtered but none had been eaten.

Hands were on Lance's shoulders again and he blinked, and this time Thace was in his face. Shay still had his hand, but the press of bodies were too close. He was panting and only then realized he was dripping with sweat. Thace's eyes were full of something needy and lusty. Lance realized he was cramped because almost every Bronzerider in the Weyr was clustered around him and reaching as if they wanted to touch but afraid to do so. Thace was saying something, squeezing him so hard he knew that it would leave bruises. It took more effort than it should have to concentrate on what he was saying.

"...the blood! Make sure she only drinks the blood, Lance! She'll be too bloated to fly well if you don't!" That's what the Weyrleader was practically screaming in his face. Lance tried to push through the red hot fog in his mind to find Asul again. She was hovered over the stag she had been circling, busy tearing it's throat out. He pushed, urging her to do as Thace had said, to just drink the blood.

Asul hit back like a steel barrier so hard it caused him to stagger. Lance had never felt so _hungry_ before. It was like he could eat every stag in this field himself. The fog in his mind told him that they could, he and his dragon would eat everything here and it would be okay. They would still rise and be sated in any way they needed.

Lance was so close to giving in to that, to letting Asul have her way, but Shay's grip on his hand and Thace's on his shoulders kept him just grounded enough to resist. He pushed back, telling her only the blood. Asul was angry and hateful but he kept at it. She drank the blood but made it very clear she wasn't happy about it.

With a final roar, Asul was in the air. At least twenty Bronzes were on her tail in an instant, Chasing their Queen so they may Catch her. Lance felt the heat in him again and he suddenly felt too hot. He wanted to be touched. Only by the worthy. Asul would only be touched by the worthy because she was strong and powerful and since Lance was her rider he would get the same treatment.

"Come on." Shay's grip tightened. He watched, distantly as if he wasn't in his own body, as the girl physically pried Thace's hands off him and shoved the older man away. Then she was pulling him through the crowd of bodies, keeping wandering hands off of his person and shooing away anyone who tried to get too close. He would need to thank her later if he even remembered any of this. It felt too much like a dream.

Shay brought Lance to his room and had him sit down on his bed. The Bronzeriders followed, of course, but their numbers had thinned in just the walk up to his room. Over half of the Bronzes had finished Chasing, not able to keep up with Asul. The remaining hovered around the bed, only held off by instinct and by Shay's watchful form. He blinked again and the few had gone down again, only four Bronzeriders remaining; Thace and Sendak were included.

It seemed that Shay was in the middle of taking off his clothing, and while Lance felt oddly exposed he also felt grateful. He was still so _hot_ and this provided relief to his sweat slicked skin. She had a white robe in hand, similar to what he wore to the Summit but more loose and open. It was draped over his shoulders gently and wrapped around him, causing Lance to whine. It was much too hot to put more clothes on.

"Shhhhh," Shay produced a small vial of some type of clear liquid. There were more like it on the nightstand but he had never touched them. Four had gone down to two, only Thace and Sendak remained. Shay wiped his wet hair off his forehead and pressed the vial into his palm. "It's not so bad. The first time is always scary." Shay tried to give him a delicate smile. "Use what's in that on yourself. Rax told me once it helps male Greenriders with Flights."

Confusion prickled in Lance's dulled mind for a moment. Then the realization hit him and he whimpered again. Shay was already gone, though. It was only him, Thace and Sendak left. They still circled him, at the edge of the bed, and they still watched. Somehow, the thought of relief overcame his shame. With trembling fingers Lance uncorked the small bottle and let it drip over his fingers; most of it ended up on the bed but he could worry about that later.

Turning slightly to where the other two men wouldn't be able to see as much, Lance shoved his hand up the flimsy dresslike outfit he had on. He was a lot more glad for all the layers it had and that it was apparently designed to protect his modesty in times like this. Not that modesty would have stopped him from slicking the cool gel over his ass and trying to probe a finger inside. Lance was oddly glad, for just a moment, that Asul's sleeping had made it so Lance hadn't eaten in a few days.

It stung more than expected and caused Lance to gasp. It didn't sting enough to make him stop, the promise of relief from this heat only making him pause long enough for the pain to fade away before he tried to move the finger. The gel helped made it a smooth glide as soon enough he felt the need for more. Another finger was added and he had forgotten that anyone else was even there. It was just him and this odd, new pleasure that helped take the edge off of the heat Asul was causing him.

In only a few minutes Lance was crying out softly as he relieved himself, but this itch wasn't something he could scratch on his own and he knew that. Only an oddity from Asul made him stop, made him blink back to reality. Another dragon, a third Bronze from Sendak's and Thace's. It was approaching fast, quickly overtaking the two older Bronzes and closing in on Asul.

It Caught, causing Lance's eyes to roll back as a wave of pleasure washed over him. Sendak made a frustrated noise and hands were on Lance, pulling him up. Lips were on his, hot and biting, and it seemed like everywhere that was touched caused his skin to cool in instant relief. When Lance got a little more control over himself, he saw that Thace and Sendak were gone. He was staring into the prettiest gray eyes that he had ever seen, which looked almost purple. It's all he had time to focus on before lips crashed down on his again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shay is a literal goddess and I love her.
> 
> Next chapter will have the S M U T... just don't expect it right away. We have to know how Keith got there, right? Lol. :u
> 
> Hooopefully i should have the next chapter edited pretty soon? I looooove writing smut. It's fun for me. I just hope that the next chapter lives up to expectations.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get more complicated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know not all of you want to read porn, so just go ahead and stop at "Lance was in the Weyrwoman's chambers, as was expected" if you're not into that kind of thing.

"Keith, we're just worried." It wasn't often that Keith let himself be cornered yet Hunk had somehow found a way. He had been going back to his room, a small tray of pilfered meats from the kitchen in hand, when the larger man had stepped from around a corner with a gentle fire in his eyes. Of course Keith had stopped, he couldn't _not_ stop when sweet and timid Hunk had that look on his face. He couldn't seem to meet the Brownrider's eyes. "You've not been yourself in a while."

Hunk had, of course, asked him what was wrong. Nothing was wrong. Keith was just busy. The Bronzerider tried to explain that, but Hunk wasn't buying it. The last month Keith could admit that he had been keeping to himself more. It was because of the egg. He didn't like to leave it alone for long periods of time in case it hatched. He had to be around for when it did. Keith had to know what was inside. It wasn't like he could just tell everyone about it unless he had proof of what it was. They would all think he was crazy.

"Keith...." Hunk sighed, reaching up and placing a firm hand on the shorter man's shoulder. "It's okay if you go and see him, you know? Lance misses you, too."

"I'm fine." Keith stiffened up at Lance's name, shaking Hunk free and backing away. Everyone kept saying that to him. They kept saying he could go see Lance and everything would be okay when... when that wasn't the problem. Keith just needed to see if the egg really could be the answer they had all been looking for. That was it. "I'm just busy." The words fell from Keith's mouth, tight and rehearsed, and Keith saw Hunk's eyes fill with pity and regret. The dark haired man turned and retreated down the hall to his room like he had originally wanted.

The egg jittered under Keith's fingers when he turned it, hot and hard just like a dragon's from the warm sand. When he held it up to a light, Keith could vaguely see the small body inside shift and move around. It was cramped in there. Soon it would crack and Keith would know.

_Mine will drop it if Mine keeps fondling it like that!_ Palgan chided. The dragon snorted and kept a curious eye over Keith's shoulder. Ever since one day when Shiro had come into his room a few Sevensday ago Keith had been keeping a small pit going in Plagan's sleeping chamber. The Weyrleader had been too interested in the pot warming over the fire even as he tried to talk to Keith about Lance. It was better in here since no one would be able to see it as soon as they came in. Plus it was rare that other riders saw the need to pester someone else's dragon.

"I won't." Keith placed the egg back in the sand and covered it back up, sighing and sliding back. He hoped that whatever it was inside could be lured with food to stay around. He felt like a hoarder, bringing tray after tray up every day. Palgan didn't seem to mind, since when Keith would need someone where to dump the scraps every morning it was usually into the Bronze's waiting jaws.

Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, Keith leaned against the wall and curled his knees close to his chest. This had been his routine for more days than he felt like counting. He would get up, do just enough work to get by, then come back to his room and sit and wait on the egg. Occasionally when someone got too close or concerned, he would slip off to the beach for an hour or two to hunt for more eggs. Keith had searched that nest again but found no eggs and no Firelizard. He wasn't having a lot of luck in general.

Palgan started to hum in his chest. It was like when dragon eggs were hatching only a little softer so it didn't reverberate through the cavern. He gave Keith a mental prodding, making the man lift the lid on the pot again. The egg was shifting and moving in the sand. Quickly moving the pot off the fire, Keith sat it on the stone floor and picked up the tray of food. He had to keep this thing long enough to show everyone.

A high pitched chirp came from inside as the shell splintered. The chirp was followed by a thin, blue wing poking through. That was followed by a snout, then a head, until finally a tiny blue Flit was laying on the mess of it's eggshells. The little creature only rested for a moment before it raised up with a hiss, eyeing Keith with a ferocity that something it's size and age shouldn't have. It was kind of funny.

"I have food." Keith muttered, picking up a chunk of scrap meat and offering it to the tiny dragon-creature. The blue hissed again and aimed to snap at the dark haired man, but only stopped when it caught a whiff of the food. It snatched the scrap from between Keith's fingers, nipping him in the process, and had it swallowed before Keith could really react. It growled and looked like it was about to try and crawl away, but Keith quickly picked up another bit of the meat and fed the creature.

This went on for several minutes, Keith hurriedly stuffing the blue Firelizard as quick as it could eat. Finally it refused to have any more pass it's lips, belly fat. It must have felt lethargic because it laid down in the sand and spread it's tiny wings to help them dry from hatching. Taking this as his chance, Keith scooped the blue Firelizard up in his hand and pulled it close. To his surprise the creature didn't struggle, only snuggled closer to him and cooed in his grip.

_I think it likes Mine._ Palgan grumbled from the side, snorting loudly in the room. A certain giddiness filled Keith then. It was unfamiliar, and he couldn't remember the last time he had been this excited over something. Lance was right and he had done it. This creature had to have been the answer he was looking for. He had to go show Lance right now. It was late, but it would only be around midday at Balmera. Grabbing his riding gear and gently putting the Firelizard in his riding pouch, Keith mounted Palgan and told him where to go. At least the Firelizard only squirmed around some before apparently finding a good resting spot.

Keith didn't even register the brief cold of Between before they popped out over top of Balmera Weyr. Palgan went in for the landing, but a strange feeling started in Keith's stomach. It was warm, a burning, and before Keith realized what it was and reached his mind out of his Bronze, the dragon had already pushed back off the ground and was flying fast and hard away from the Weyr. The heat in his gut spread to the rest of his body, making Keith feel sticky and needy.

"Shards." Keith hissed under his breath, his mind becoming clouded with want. It was... Asul. Asul must have taken Flight, and Keith had come right at the perfect time to get caught up in it. Palgan's consciousness thrummed in the back of Keith's mind, wanting and needy. It was like he could see through his dragon's eyes, the Bronze coming up on the Gold faster than the other two Bronzes Chasing could ever hope to go. The dragon felt a sense of satisfaction, and Keith did too, since he was obviously the fastest and deserved the Queen more than they did.

Keith's feet moved almost of their own accord, dragging him through corridors he didn't know. He needed to get to the other body connect to Asul. He needed to get to Lance. The Firelizard was forgotten for him, everything he had wanted to share and talk about was pushed to the side so that Keith could find Lance.

Lance was in the Werywoman's chambers, as was expected, laying back in bed in the traditional Flight outfit. Thace and Sendak circled the edge of the bed, which made a spike of irritation flare in Keith's gut. The dark skinned man had his hand between his legs, moving it and panting softly as he did so. It was a shame that the folds of the robe he was wearing was keeping the sight hidden from his view.

That didn't matter, because Lance moaned out throaty and needy, and at the flood of pleasure that overcame Keith he knew that Palgan had Caught. He pushed past the other two frustrated looking Bronzeriders as they left the room, went to Lance's side and pulled him into his arms. He kissed him hard, sliding their lips together in a way that took his breath away. A fire had been ignited in him, fueled by the carnal desires of his dragon.

Lance felt like putty under Keith's touch, pliant and warm. Every slide of his hands had the brown haired man leaning into him. Keith took the time to carefully lick into Lance's mouth; just kissing him wasn't enough, the dark haired man wanted to taste. Lance moaned roughly against him, needy and pleading. He was too far gone for much more than trying to sloppily slip their tongues together. Keith pulled back with a wet pop and Lance whimpered from being separated.

Keith wasn't in the state that Lance was in yet but he was getting there. He positioned himself to be more on the bed, sliding back on his knees and haunches until he was between Lance's legs. A small vial of lubricant was open and on its side next to Lance, mostly spilled out onto the blankets. There was still just enough to use in the bottle, and Keith snatched it up before he worked on unbuckling his belt and sliding his pants down. He didn't have the patience, urged on by Palgan blearily connected mind, to both with completely undressing either of them.

Lance whined again when Keith's cock escaped from his pants, hard and flushed red. Upturning the vial, Keith shivered as the cold lubricant inside dripped down his length. When the vial was empty he tossed it as and gave himself a few strokes, using thumb and fingers to spread the slick liquid around evenly.

There wasn't much left of Keith for romance at the moment. He was losing control and coming unraveled at the seams as Palgan's and his own consciousness pushed together slowly. They were becoming more like one mind sharing two bodies, as always happened to a Rider when their dragon Caught. He could tell Lance must have been the same way, from how he looked up at him with an alluring but slightly glassy look in his eyes.

Placing his hands on Lance's knees, Keith pulled those long legs up and spread them apart. The dark haired man only had a moment to enjoy the view of Lance spreading himself open for him before he pulled the brown haired man's hands away from himself. Lance's ass was twitching and slick. Keith moved closer and pressed the head of his cock again him.

There was only the barest hint of resistance before the head of Keith's cock slipped inside of Lance. Lance made a strangled noise when it popped inside, back arching beautifully off the bed as he tried to push his body down onto Keith's dick. Keith took the chance to slide his arm under Lance's back, keeping him lifted up for both of their benefits. Shifting positions, Keith made it so he was partially leaned over Lance with his free arm braced against the headboard of the bed. Not the sexiest position, but it would serve its purpose.

Lance babbled Keith's name and all the blessings to the stars as he worked himself deeper inside of the other man. It was rougher and quicker than the pace he normally took when he shared bed with a lover, but Lance didn't seem to mind in the least. His hands had moved to Keith's shoulders, fingers digging into the flesh as he held on. Just the barest hint of time for Lance to adjust, then Keith pulled himself out and snapped his hips forward.

Inside of Lance was hot and tight and better than any fantasy Keith could have ever had. The sounds that the man under him made were orgasmic on their own, how he moaned low and deep while pleading for more. The pace that Keith set was fast and hard, self-control lost as his mind overlapped Palgan's more and more. He was lost to the rhythmic sound of flesh slapping against flesh, along with the decadent and filthy feeling of Lance surrounding him.

Keith was gone. He was as much Palgan dropping thousands of feet through the air to make sure his golden lover was pleased as he was himself. Somehow Keith found his lips on Lance's again, taking in all those pants and groans while offering his own up for the taking. His shoulders stung from how hard Lance was gripping him, the other man's body moving in loose time with his own.

Keith was lost in that odd dreamworld of duality forever but at the same time it only lasted a moment. He was unclear how much time had passed when Lance screamed for him, toes curling and a choked cry of 'Keith!' sobbed from his mouth. Hot, white cum splattered in sharp contrast to the tan skin of Lance's stomach and Keith could see tearpricks in his eyes. Lance's cock wept, softening even though it was untouched; Keith knew it was less his lovemaking skills and more the connection to Asul that had made that possible for the other man.

Lance relaxed to the point that Keith thought the other man might melt under him. It only took a few more thrusts into him, still rippling and squeezing inside from his orgasm, for Keith to bury his cock as deep as he could get it and join Lance in bliss. Lance's name poured from his mouth as he felt himself stain Lance's insides white.

Exhaustion overtook Keith. Palgan and Asul had landed and demanded sleep, and the high connection still buzzed in his brain. The dark haired man wanted to stay awake and tend to Lance, to kiss him more before he cleaned him up. Keith couldn't resist, though, and found himself rolling off of Lance and onto his side. Lance was already half asleep, but still moaned lightly when Keith pulled out of him. Ignoring the rush of fluid and wetness leaking out of Lance, Keith used the last of his conciouness to pull the brown haired man close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> boi they finally done it
> 
> now we get to look forward to the political aspects of what just happened, as well as feelings! hooray! :D
> 
> remember i got a [tumblr](http://ancientnapdragon.tumblr.com/) where you can come talk to me! i love getting messages and stuff from you guys!
> 
> even thought i know it's a bad idea, i started a new klance and shallura fic earlier called [Twice Shy](http://archiveofourown.org/works/8577586/chapters/19666261)! It's mostly silly and not meant to be taken seriously, but it has time travel shenanigans and klance and shallura kids! it's a mess and i love it! why not check it out? c:
> 
> i should be updating [saudade](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7997332/chapters/18306541) in a few days if you read that story, too. i got a lot done this weekend even if Sun and Moon really got in the way of writing. >:u


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aftermath part one.

It was warm when Lance awoke a few hours later. His memory was foggy and confused, an aching in his lower back making him roll over. The body pressed against him shifted and Lance froze. Bits and pieces were sliding into place, but that couldn't have been Keith could it? It all seemed too much like something his addled mind had come up with to make him more okay with the situation.

Cracking his eyes open, Lance glanced next to him. A familiar mess of dark hair was fanned over the pillow as Keith nosed into it. He grew a little flustered when his eyes drew lower and took in Keith's naked body, but he quickly pushed those thoughts away; there was no need to be shy after what had just happened between them.

Still, Lance ached. He felt brittle and uncomfortably full. Sliding his long legs out of bed, he slowly made him way to his feet. He almost lost his footing, surprised by the stab of pain straight up his spine, but he shook it off and made his way to the small, personal cleaning room connected to the Weyrwoman's suite.

Someone had been in here not that long ago, because not only were the soap sands warm and fresh but someone had taken the time to both fill and heat up a small tub of water for him. A note was on the edge of it, along with a few supplies to cleanse himself. Shay, it seemed, had done this for him- he would need to make sure that the girl was rewarded later somehow. After rubbing himself off, Lance folded his legs and did his best to sit down in the water as she had requested.

This was all very... complicated. Lance was happy not to have woken up pressed to Thace or, stars forbid it, _Sendak_. That didn't mean that the goldrider was happy with the situation. He had always had this romantic notion that his first time sharing his bed would be with someone who loved him not someone who... well, why was Keith here anyway? Asul's Call couldn't have been that powerful to draw Palgan. Sighing, Lance cleared his thoughts and tried to soak his discomfort away. He could worry about all of this when he was more awake.

When Lance came out feeling a lot cleaner than when he woke up, Keith was still asleep and he was ravenously hungry. It had been a few days since he had last eaten because of Asul's oncoming Flight, not that he had known the reason at the time, and with as much energy as he used the day before.... It was understandable. He was thankful that someone, probably Shay, had come through for him again by leaving out a tray of bread and soft cheese on one of his work tables.

However, Lance was less excited by this when he approached and found a small, fat, blue lizard hissing up at him from the floor and surrounded by cheese crumbs.

Lance screamed, a half surprised yelp and he jerked back before the thing could bite him. This caused Keith to jerk awake before rolling out of bed. The dark haired man was standing in all his naked glory and ready to fight but also looked just as bleary eyed and confused as Lance had been when he had woken. The blue lizard screamed back, a high pitched squeal that ended in a hiss as it arched it's back to try and look larger.

"Whats wrong?" Keith's voice was gritty with sleep, and he looked around the room. Gray eyes flitted around the room, lingering on Lance as some realization dawned there before his attention snapped down to the lizard. The dark haired man relaxed some. He walked over and picked up the thing in his arms, which responded by making a tutting noise and pressing it's face into the crook of Keith's arm.

"What in the shards is that thing?" Lance straightened himself up and looked over the tiny beast closer since it wasn't a thread now. It kind of looked like a tiny dragon.

"A Firelizard. I found an egg after you left." Shifting, Keith adjusted the flit so Lance could get a better look. The brown haired man could hardly believe this thing was real and he was looking at one in the flesh. "It hatched yesterday. It's why I came to see you."

Lance didn't miss how Keith's eyes were drawn to the rumpled sheets of the bed for a moment. So, it was just by chance that Keith had been here at all. For a moment a bitter feeling blossomed in Lance's stomach. Keith hadn't even bothered to send word since Lance had become Weyrwoman, then he just shows up out of the blue. Then Palgan Caught Asul, so....

"Shells." Lance's head hurt, he was still hungry, and he was also sore. Even if the sheets needed a good washing he still sat down heavily on the bed and rubbed his face. Palgan Caught Asul. Keith was the Balmeran Weyrleader now. That would leave Voltron without a Weyrsecond, but Lance also had a feeling that a few of the riders here wouldn't be happy. Some were already upset for having to settle with Lance at all. A Bronzerider from another Weyr coming into power by chance wouldn't go over well. He just wanted to lay down and sleep for a while longer.

Of course, Lance wouldn't get that chance. It was about that time that a knock sounded in the main doorway out to the hall. Keith barely had time to hide the blue Firelizard before, of all people, Shiro was poking his head through the doorway.

"Keith!" Shiro frowned as he took in Keith's lack of clothing. The dark haired man looked a bit sheepish before he grabbed his trousers to pull on. At least Shiro didn't look too bothered. Or even surprised. "I've been looking all over for you. Hunk said I might find you here?"

There was more to that question and Lance knew it. Keith did, too, from the look of him. He and Shiro shared a look, words passing between them unspoken. Finally, Shiro sighed as he fully stepped into the room.

"You two should hurry and come down. I'm sure that the Weyr is waiting to see you." There was a bit of warning there but the older man backed away from the door. Lance could still here him poking around in the other room so he must have just been waiting for Keith to dress. Quiet stretched between them before Keith caught his eye.

"Lance, I..."

"Save it." Standing, Lance brushed off his leathers so he wouldn't have to see the vague flash of hurt cross Keith's face. This was a lot for one person to take in and he was feeling more and more like he was losing control over his life. Whatever apology or love confession about to cross Keith's tongue, Lance wasn't ready to hear it right now. Lance wasn't sure which one would have been worse. He moved to join Shiro in the main room so Keith could finish getting dressed.

Shiro was looking over some writing leathers that Lance had laid out on a table. It was nothing important, just an inventory of the larder, but Shiro's face was scrunched in concentration as he read. Lance didn't move to bother him and they waited quietly for Keith to come out. When he did, still a little sleep ruffled but at least presentable, they moved for the door.

There was a tension there. Between himself and Keith, but also between Keith and Shiro. Keith kept trying to fall into step behind Shiro, a respectful thing to do with your Weyrleader, but Shiro would slow down so instead they were side to side. It made progress stilting at best. Lance could understand why that Shiro was doing it.

When they crossed from the main hallways into the bowl, there were more people than Lance expected to be out at this hour. It was very early in the morning, making Lance wonder just how long that Flight had lasted and how long he had slept after. Most of the people milling about were Bronze and Blue riders; most of the Bronze and Greens were probably still resting after the Flight. They all seemed to be doing a poor job at pretending to be busy since Lance could see how eyes were hungry to take Keith in.

"We should eat." Lance met all the looks, not in the mood to be cowed for his dragon's choice. He raised his head high and walked with as much false bravado as he could for the mess hall. As if he still wasn't trying to shrug off the slight limp that soaking hadn't been able to get rid of.

The mess hall was mostly empty since food wasn't technically being served yet. The kitchen was alight with activity as the cooks prepared the morning's meal. That didn't stop Lance from entering the kitchen and piling up a plate of spare breads, cheese and meats. Being Weyrwoman had it's perks. He also grabbed a pitcher of fresh Klah and a few mugs to serve it in before making his way back to the hall.

Keith and Shiro were already sitting down at the head table, Keith looking tense. He was in Thace's normal seat, next to where Lance would sit every meal that he wasn't holed up in his chambers. Lance slapped the tray down on the table between the other two men with a clatter before sitting down. He wasted no time grabbing his own meal before Keith or Shiro got the chance.

"I'm not doing the whole 'waiting on you hand and foot' thing, Keith. Tomorrow you're getting the food." Lance ripped into the bread with more force than needed after he said this. The bread was tough and chewy, making his jaw ache but giving him something to wear out his slowly building anxiety with. What he said was true, though. He had been expected to serve Thace meals and all sorts of nonsense while he was acting as Weyrleader. It was stupid, humiliating, and Lance was pretty sure he was going to have a long chat with Allura next time he saw her about it.

Keith blinked dumbly as he picked up his own food. His eyebrows were crunched up and he glanced over at Shiro, who was trying to convey something in his expression to Keith. After a few seconds, Keith dropped his bread on the table and buried his face in his hands.

" _Shards_. I'm Weyrleader now." Keith looked distressed by this. Lance felt a small bit of smug satisfaction. Now Keith knew what it was like to suddenly have responsibility thrust upon him. Which, honestly, Lance wasn't sure why he was so smug about it. Keith hadn't really done anything to wrong Lance, yet, and was probably more qualified for the position than Lance was giving him credit for. He _had_ been Weyrsecond for almost as many Turns as he had been a Rider.

"That's right, Keith." Shiro sighed and laced his fingers together over the table. "What you did was reckless. Why would you come out here at all without telling someone?" Keith lifted his head and a slightly pained look crossed his face before he gripped the table tight.

"I know how they're getting messages across." Keith's voice was hushed and low, but with a certain giddiness than surprised Lance. Shiro, too, whose eyebrows furled up before understanding made him lean in closely.

"On the beach, down south, I found an egg. Lance had said one day about Firelizards. I didn't think they were true but...." Keith glanced over at Lance, wincing at something left unsaid, before shaking it off and going back to his story. "I hatched it. A Firelizard was inside. I came to show Lance since it was his idea in the first place."

The Firelizard which was, apparently, back in his chambers. Lance worried over the creature. Could it really have all the answers? So far it had been like a small dragon, and it did seem at least a little attached to Keith. They would have noticed lizards flying around, though, Lance was sure. There had to be more to it than that. Shiro looked like he was having similar thoughts.

"I saw it this morning. It almost took my toe off." Okay, an exaggeration, but Lance didn't want Shiro to think that Keith had gone off the deep end. Shiro looked between Keith and Lance and his mouth fell open into a small 'o'.

"You're serious."

"Dead serious. It was a menace and ate all my cheese."

"Lance." Keith frowned and gave a little warning. Lance scoffed and sat back, picking up a slice of dried meat before taking another bite of his bread. Keith turned back to Shiro. "The egg was in this nest in a hole on the beach. A bigger gold one attacked me when I stole the egg. If this is really the answer, we need to find more."

There was more for them to say, but the doors to the mess hall opened. Thace walked in like he was looking for them and approached the table without pause. He eyed Keith, who was openly glowering back at the older man, but stopped at the table. Unless himself or Keith asked him to sit, he wasn't permitted to sit at this table any longer since he no longer had the title of Weyrleader.

"A pleasure to see you, Shiro. I hope I'm not interrupting." Thace's voice was level, as it always was. He nodded in respect to the Voltron Weyrleader before his eyes slid back over to Keith. "I came to offer my congratulations to you, Keith. Since you _and_ your Weyrwoman are not native to this Weyr, I will assist you in anything that needs done if you so ask of me." Lance didn't like how Thace said 'native'. As if they were intruders. It stung worse since Lance hadn't wanted to come here in the first place.

Keith pursed his lips, glancing over at Lance before sitting up straighter. "Thank you very much, Thace." Keith looked like he might choke on those words. He had never been the best at playing the cordial diplomat. Lance wasn't, either, but at least he could pretend to thank someone without looking like he was being asked to suck on a wad of dragon dung.

Thace nodded and gave a small smile. Lance was pretty sure it was the first time he had seen any sort of expression from the other man, not that he had been paying close attention, and something about it seemed malicious. Lance gripped the underside of the table hard and wished that Asul were awake to soothe him right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> after a point this chapter was really hard to write. next chapter is when the real fun begins, too. >:u i'm all about political drama, yo.
> 
> i'm going to try and set up a routine schedule to update this fic. work finally settled on my days off, knock on wood, so instead of being bounced around and exhausted and sleeping all the time i should be able to solidly work on fics once or twice a week. i'm hoping for Tuesdays to be New gold Dust Chapter days, but i guess we'll see when we get there. that is, sadly, baring the 13th (maybe). it will all depend on how the rest of this work week goes.
> 
> i'm super grateful for everyone whose reading this fic! it makes me so happy that, being the giant child i am, i have cried once or twice reading nice comments. i love you all and i'm sorry my general social anxiety about things makes me shy to not answer all your comments ;;
> 
> we have fanart, now, too! [Wolfpainters](http://wolfpainters.tumblr.com/) drew this beautiful art of [Lance and Asul](http://wolfpainters.tumblr.com/post/154223547019/this-only-took-me-3-weeks-to-get-finished-lmao-but). look at those pretty eyes and the scales and the riding leathers. look at how smug my boy is. i'm gunna cry again writing this why am i like this.
> 
> hmu on [tumblr](http://ancientnapdragon.tumblr.com/) sometime, too! scream with me about voltron!
> 
> i hope you all have good days <3


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Balmera is not as it seems.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY EVERYONE, LOOK HERE FOR A SEC BEFORE READING
> 
> okay, so this chapter is a lot longer than all the other chapters in this fic, and let me tell you why and a few differences: i had SO MUCH trouble with making the original chapter 16 work, i eventually gave up. this right here, this mess, is basically the reworked scraps of what i did want from 16, plus the next five chapters changed and frankensteined together in some unholy fusion.
> 
> when you see a linebreak, it's swapping between lance and keith's pov. since the chapters flip flop that way, i figured this would make the most sense.
> 
> this story, as i have maybe mentioned before but honestly i can't remember, is in THREE arcs. the first arc ended and second started when lance became the weyrwoman at balmera. this is about a good portion of the second arc. it was planned the shortest of the three anyway. i'll still tell you when it ends tho.
> 
> before posting this, i went back and reworked some characters. instead of just Rax, as planned, and a few NPCs being involved in certain plot points, i changed a few things so it mentions people from season two! that, somehow, didn't take me nearly as long as anything else did. so, spoilers i guess? but since this is an au, it's mainly just names anyway.
> 
> i'm also sorry this took so long. i hope this chapter makes up for my incompetence and how long you cuties have had to wait.

Keith narrowed his eyes at Thace's retreating back. Something was off about him, about his smile and about how he walked and acted. He would need to investigate this further- but later. There was too much reeling going on in mind right now. Too much happening at once, between him waking up next to Lance, the harsh write off of him trying to reveal his intentions earlier, then finding out he was now Weyrleader. It was a lot for one morning when he had only been awake for maybe an hour. Shiro looked at Keith with something like pity.

"Well," Shiro stood up, pushing his chair back with a dull screech. "I'll have Hunk come with your things. I need to go back to Voltron."

"May the winds be kind to you." Keith mumbled into his bread, the sentiment followed by Lance a moment later. Shiro looked tired. At least, more tired than he usually did. This was probably just as frustrating for him as it was Keith. Nodding to each of them, Shiro turned and strode out with more confidence than Keith felt at the moment.

"Shards." Lance grumbled at his side. The air was still tight between them, but the other man ran his hand through his hair. "We should have asked Shiro to send Coran with Hunk. I'm not sure if we can trust the Harper here."

For a moment, Keith didn't know why they would need Coran. Then he remembered the blue firelizard currently still in Lance's chambers; he assumed anyway. Even if Shiro got the word across to Coran, he would have rathered someone came and saw it for themselves. With a little more time, he might have even been able to take the older man to the beach himself so he could get a start on looking for more eggs. Frustration bubbled in his gut. 

_So noisy._ The consciousness in the back of his mind stirred. Palgan was sleepy and dazed, but seemed very pleased with himself. Another spike or irritation surged through Keith, directed at his dragon. It was all his fault that Lance seemed upset with him and he was in this mess. Palgan just clucked in the back of his mind, a feeling like the Bronze was rolling his eyes at him _Mine is so silly. Asul's is silly, too._

There was something unsaid there, pressed from Palgan, that Keith couldn't place. He knew very well that Asul wouldn't have allowed Palgan to Catch her if Lance wasn't interested, at least somewhat, in Keith. Humans weren't as easygoing as dragons, though. They had more going on than just focusing on feasting and fucking, as it were.

_That's rude, mine._ Palgan snorted and Keith couldn't help but grin, just a little. _Humans are just dumb!_

"Palgan's up, too?" Lance spoke around a mouthful of bread. The other man seemed kind of ravenous. Enough so that Keith wondered when the last time the Goldrider had gotten a good meal was. He couldn't image that they were starving him after all.

"Yeah. Asul?" Keith swallowed when he realized he had been staring and not answering. Lance just shrugged and nodded, humming some type of 'yes' into his food as he took another piece of meat from the tray. An awkwardness settled between the two of them again. It prickled at Keith's skin.

The words from earlier tickled the tip of Keith's tongue. The confession was right there. Lance hadn't wanted to hear it earlier, for whatever reason, but Keith felt like he might explode if he didn't let it out. The tension in the air between them was making the urge worse. Keith tried his best to keep calm as Shiro had guided him to do for turns, but he was still a man of rash action.

Keith took a breath.

The moment passed.

The Bronzerider didn't have much of an appetite anymore. Keith stood and pushed the tray closer to Lance, who only spared him a curious sideglance. "I'm going to start getting acquainted with the place." He brushed a few crumbs off his clothes before moving out to investigate the Weyr. Mostly he just wanted away from Lance but at least this would give him more to do than pine like a fool.

Keith didn't want his new title, but at least he was partially trained for it. Being WingSecond at Voltron had seen him helping Shiro with a lot of the grunt work that needed to be done behind the scenes. Most of what Shiro had done was keeping the Holds under their care from squabbling and morale high after Threadfall; Keith was very glad that menace had passed and he wouldn't have to lead through it.

Working closely with Shiro had given him more in depth knowledge than most would have. That didn't mean that Keith was looking forward to it. Already, as he passed through the bowl, eyes were upon him and silently judging. A Bluerider even sneered as he walked past.

Irritation flared again, but Keith tamped it down to the best of his ability. He needed to go make sure that Firelizard was still there and also what work Thace had left behind.

* * *

Lance watched Keith go, the other man's shoulders pulled back and hands in fists at his sides. He looked ready to go to war, something Lance hadn't seen from the other since Thread was falling turns ago. He thought maybe he should call out to him but his mouth was too clogged with bread. At least, that's what he told himself.

When Lance swallowed it felt heavy and soured in his stomach. Despite Asul's Flight imposed starvation of him for the last few days, he suddenly didn't want to eat. Something like guilt edged within him.

_Mine is so bad at this._ Asul sounded exasperated. The feelings rolling off her reminded Lance of his mom in a way. At her wits end with his nonsense but it was as equally fond as it was frustrated. He still pushed back against her as if he didn't understand what she was talking about. Too bad they could never really hide anything from each other.

_Mine likes Palgan's!_ The snap of her tone and frustrations was like a slap in the face, making Lance visibly wince and start. That fondness was still there, but it was buried under a hot wash of just being _done_ with him. There was also a hint of guilt there, under the fondness, but for both of their sakes Lance ignored it. He knew the Gold didn't enjoy being curt with him.

_Mine has pined for Palgan's almost since I was a hatchling! Palgan's likes Mine or I wouldn't let Palgan Catch me! Mine is the one making this hard!_ There was more 'said' between their link, but the force of Asul's words were overridden by emotion. She was trying to put words through but had hit her limit on doing so. Instead he felt his skin tingle and shame wash cold down his back. Lance had the very distinct feeling that Asul was talking about him, now. Maybe to the mentioned Bronze or Shay's Green.

Lance didn't really feel that assessment was fair. He was making this hard, he could admit that, but only because he was confused and trying to deal with everything going on. Focusing too much on Keith might take away from something else that could keep him alive. Every since the murdering of the Goldriders had started Lance had felt like his time was limited. It was hard to get lost in the fancy of romance when you felt like every breath might be your last.

But, maybe Asul was kind of right. Lance liked Keith. There was no lying about that. Maybe he had been too harsh on the other man because of his own insecurities about his lifespan. He had done a lot of pushing away even before he had left Voltron in places. It was probably time to stop since they would be sharing a bed, not to mention reign of this Weyr.

"Lance."

He glanced up, so deep in thought that the Goldrider hadn't noticed anyone approach. It took him a moment to realize it was Rax, Shay's older brother. The Bluerider was standing in front of him from across the table, scowling down his nose at him. Normally Lance might have been offended, but Shay had assured him that her brother just looked that way and rarely meant it as an insult.

"What is it?" If his tone was a little snappish, Rax didn't call Lance on it. He just grunted and shrugged his shoulders before taking that as permission to sit down.

"No one is happy about this. Lots of the Bronze and Brownriders are already causing a stink." Lance sighed in reply and pushed the tray away. He needed that moment to focus on something else. A few cubes of cheese fell onto the table from how rough he was.

"Didn't think they would be. Why are you telling me this?"

"Shay likes you. So, I like you. Most of the Greenriders do, too. A few of the Blue. Raco was.... alright. She just didn't talk to too many below her station. Thace always kind of kept to himself. Usual politics, right?"

"No?" Lance sat back some, a little dumbfounded. This was all news to him. Since he hadn't been able- _allowed_ \- to get out and talk much, he hadn't even realized there was some type of vague disparity between the more common colored dragonriders and rarer ones. It wasn't like that, at all, at Voltron. Shay had never once mentioned it, either.

But, thinking back, Lance could see it now. Hindsight was always perfect, as they say. Shay had been nervous around him at first and it would explain her trying to help 'serve' him like she had that morning. Had Thace wanted to keep it that way? Was that the real reason behind why he had kept him away from everyone?

This just made things a lot more complicated. He had enough to worry about as it was. Still, if Rax could be trusted...

Well, Lance could deal with that later. There were bigger fish to fry since the murderers were still on the loose. While Weyr unity and loyalty would help, he would just have to do what he could for now. Changes would need to be made and Lance was positive that himself and Keith could do it. If they lasted that long.

"Thanks for the info, Rax. Keith and I will keep in touch." Speaking of frying fishes, Lance had some things he needed to think over. Standing, he nodded to the Bluerider before making his way out of the dining hall. With a mental push, he called down for Azul. The Gold was still kind of sluggish but by the time he made it to the bowl she was already there. She made herself comfortable at the edge, away from where other dragons lounged or landed. He gathered a pot of oil and made his way over to her. She was in need of a good oiling, it would give him time to think, and most people would avoid him since he was busy. It was perfect for what he needed.

Which, Lance thought, as he spread the first handful of thick oil on Azul's side, was a chance to zone out and just let his mind wander. With purpose. Even if Keith had made things a hell of a lot harder, and his ass sore, he had come with good news. Kind of. That little blue firelizard that tried to bite his toe off.

Which, Lance hoped it was the answer. As far as he knew, Toe-Biters similarity to a dragon could have ended with looks alone. There was no proof yet that the little creature could be trained or even go Between to carry messages. However, if it could, then they had the way that the people plotting against them were communicating covertly. It could be a big breakthrough to stop whoever was doing this before it was too late.

It also raised a lot more questions. How were these people getting ahold of the flits, or even their eggs? They would need a steady supply. Somewhere close to a beach, like a seahold. There was also the question of how they were even being shipped to the hands that needed them, if that were the case. And if the damned things were so elusive that Keith had found one by _chance_ , how were they getting their hands on enough to form some type of resistance? Did they even have that many at all?

Really, it raised more questions than it answered, but at least Lance's mind could move on for the moment and ponder over other things with that cemented in place. Now he just needed to know the who and the why. Which he wasn't sure he would be able to puzzle out, honestly.

The Goldriders were being targeted. While Shiro and Coran had been skeptical when he brought it up, there was no denying it. When the rider died, the dragon perished too. So, killing off the Goldriders would kill off all the Golds. It was simple as that. Allura had been targeted, two Goldriders had perished at Altea Weyr, and the egg here had been smashed which caused the Weyrwoman and dragon to suicide.

If you wanted to kill off all dragonkind, this was a pretty good strategy. Without any Golds, there wouldn't be any large clutches to help pick new riders from. Greens _could_ lay eggs, but only two or three at a time, and only Greens or the rare Blue would hatch from their eggs. Without any Browns or Bronzes or Golds, the telepathic hivemind the dragons kept together for communication would most likely fall apart, too, since it was held in place by Golds. That's why it was so important that Lance come to Balmera in the first place.

However, if you wanted immediate results? It wasn't as good. If it was really the Lord Holders behind this, by the time the Weyrs collapsed to a point they couldn't keep control, most of them would be dead. Zarkon was already in his sixties as far as Lance knew, and most of the Lord Holders weren't much younger than him. Even if Allura were killed off at Voltron, with Shiro and the other Bronzes around, they could still keep order for at least another thirty years or longer before they passed. Hell, Alfor was almost as old as Zarkon and he had been in perfect health before he was murdered.

It didn't add up. There was something here that Lance wasn't seeing. The answer to 'why' just didn't made sense when you looked at it just from a 'gain money and power' standpoint. This was something deeper. Almost like a vendetta.

Smearing the last bit of oil on Azul's hide, Lance wiped off his hands and turned to leave. Something was nagging at the back of his mind and he wanted answers. He had someone to go see.

* * *

Why did Lance have to keep everything so cluttered? Their now shared workroom was a mess of leathers laying on every available surface. Worst yet was that everything was mixed up to a point he couldn't keep everything together. The larder stocks were next to needed repairs, mixed in with logs for the Holds, as well as messages from the Crafthalls. Some of it was out of date from before Lance had even come to Balmera, so he didn't know why Lance had it in the first place.

From what Keith could gather everything seemed to be in order around here. All of the Holds were still sending supplies, unlike back at Voltron. The Crafthalls were sending breakthrough reports, too, and performance of jobs around the Weyr was exceptional. It was clean and perfectly organized even though, from what Keith could guess, they had under half of the drudges and cooks and workers that Voltron had had. He honestly wasn't sure how it was possible.

Steps at the door caused him to turn sharply. A young woman came into view and seemed just as shocked to see him as he was her. She gasped and dropped a tray of what might have been medicine; it was hard to tell with the clay bowl and whatever had been inside splattered all over the floor.

"S-sorry!" The woman was taller than him, but she hunched over to make herself seem smaller. The look on her pretty face showed some type of fear under an apology. Like she was afraid of him. "I-I'll clean this up! I'm so sorry! Again!" She continued to babble as she quickly knelt down and started to gather the shards up in her hands, eyes down and refusing to look at him. She looked so upset.

It was a look that Keith knew.

This is how drudges acted when working under someone who would hurt them as punishment. This was a look that Keith had had to use himself many times in his youth, and he had seen even more use it while begging for forgiveness. However, this woman wasn't a drudge and didn't need to be begging for anything. She was wearing the crest of a Balmeran Rider on her leathers.

"It's okay." Stepping closer, and ignoring how the woman flinched away from him, Keith knelt down and helped her pick up the mess. The two of them were quiet until everything was wiped away, the woman waiting even after they were finished for Keith to stand before she rose herself.

"I'm still _so_ sorry! I thought Lance would be here, and he's probably sore, so I brought some medicine-"

Keith lifted his hand, palm flat, to shush her. The brown-haired girl's teeth clicked she snapped her mouth closed so fast. It took a moment for Keith to compose himself. There was something very wrong here if this young woman was acting this way.

"What's your name?" May as well get the easy questions out of the way first. Keith wasn't good at gentle and easy, but this was what he needed to be. He tried to think about how Shiro or even Lance might deal with this so he could emulate them.

"Floroma, sir."

"Floroma. What dragon looks to you?"

"H-huh? Eleri, sir." She was wary now, looking ready to dart off at the slightest wrong twitch of Keith's fingers. Keith paused and asked Palgan which dragon that was. It only took a moment for his gossipy Bronze to answer back that it was one of the smaller Greens.

"Greenrider, right?" Keith eased back to the desk. He leaned on it, arms open at his sides to keep his purchase. He was trying to look relaxed even if he didn't feel that way. It was a pose that Shiro often took with the more timid or shy Candidates brought into Voltron when he was trying to ease them into Weyr life. "You know," He started, picking up a leather to pretend to read over it. "It's very kind of you to do that for Lance. I'm sure he would have appreciated it."

"B-but I messed up, and-"

"But." Keith cut her off and the woman paled. He saw her throat move as she swallowed. "You don't _have_ to do anything you don't _want_ to do, Floroma. You're not a slave or a drudge. You're a dragonrider."

Keith met her eyes then. She only glanced down for a second before meeting them. She seemed to understand what he was getting at, his message coming across loud and clear. Her face brightened and the corners of her lips twitched upwards before she steeled her face. Floroma wasn't slouching anymore.

"Of course, sir. Thank you, sir. I'll remember that." She paused. "And... I'll make sure the rest of the Greenriders know, too?"

"I wouldn't be against it. Thank you again. I'll tell Lance you stopped by for him."

"Yes, sir! Right away, sir!" Floroma practically threw herself out the door in her thinly veiled excitement. When she was gone, Keith let out a heavy sigh and scowled, burying a hand in his hair. This was a mess. Something very bad must have happened for a rider to react to him that way.

Keith knew that there were differences between the Weyrs, different rules and regulations and how things were done. However, he would never have guessed that Balmera would divert from Voltron or even Altea as much as... whatever the star had just went down.

Keith wasn't very assured of his title as Weyrleader yet, but he would fly to the Red Star himself before he allowed any of his riders to be afraid of him. Had it been this way the entire time Lance had been here? Had Lance _allowed_ this? Maybe he just wasn't the man that Keith thought he was if he had.

* * *

Lance had never been down a Bronzerider's hall before. He had dreamed of it back when he was a Candidate, sure, but being a Goldrider he wasn't expected to mingle down here. It was kind of a letdown. Mostly more of the same, holes in the rock carved out into cave-like rooms to house the riders and their dragon. There were a lot more doors than the Goldrider's ward and he imagined they were a bit smaller inside. Lance didn't bother to take a look to find out. He was a man on a mission.

_Lundil's isn't that far away, Mine._ Azul hummed in the back of Lance's mind. She was running point for him. He wasn't blessed to speak with all dragons like Allura was, so he had to rely on Azul speaking to Lundil then on her speaking back to himself. So far she hadn't steered him wrong.

When Lance came to the door in question he took a deep breath to steel himself before he announced himself. "Thace?" The room was dark when he stepped inside, the glowstone dimmed or covered. When his eyes adjusted he could see that the room was still being moved into. A low rumbling was coming from the back.

Making his way deeper into the room, Lance stepped into what he assumed was the dragon's share of the room. A large opening carved into the rock not unlike Azul's. Lundil was there, the massive Bronze laying on his side as Thace oiled him. The older man glanced up when Lundil must have announced his presence.

"Ah, Lance. What can I do for you?" Thace didn't stop his work, but he tilted his head to show that he was listening to him.

"I have some questions I would like to ask you. You've been Weyrleader since before I was born. You should know the history of this place like the back of your hand, right?"

At that, Thace paused. Only for a second, then he wiped his hands off and put the lid back on the oilpot. When that was done, the older man turned and faced Lance. Unlike any other time that the brown haired man had seen him, Thace looked tired. There were bags under his eyes and his hair seemed greasy. His usually cold appearance had given way to some type of exhaustion, thought Lance couldn't tell if it was physical or emotional.

"I suppose I would. I was Weyrleader for twenty-two of my forty-three turns. A rider for even longer. What do you need to know?"

"Do you know of anyone that might have a grudge against riders?"

"Lord Holders, of course." Thace seemed to relax some when he answered. Lance hadn't noticed he was tensed up before then. "Greedy lot. They've always hated having to rely on us in peace times."

"Someone other than that? Anyone who might take it personally?" Lance already knew the Lord Holders hated them; at least most of them did. Kind ones like Iverson were the exception, not the rule. He wasn't going to let himself be passed off with half answers that didn't tell him what he wanted. Thace knew something. Lance just didn't know what. _Yet_.

"Well...." Thace shook his head, frowning. "Nah. She's dead anyway, so it can't be her. I don't have anything to tell you. Sorry."

"Thace." Lance frowned. He raised his chin up and tried to make himself as much of a presence as he could. He had seen Allura and even Keith do it a million times before when they stared people down. He hoped he could do it as well as they did to intimidate Thace. "This is important. Tell me what you know."

Thace didn't waver, but he met Lance's eyes. They stared at each other hard for a few ticks, unflinching. The Goldrider refused to be cowed. Thace sighed and rubbed his hand over his face when he relented. Lance only allowed himself a small victory grin before he forced his face back into a neutrality that would make Keith proud.

"This is a long story, Lance. Are you sure you have time?"

"Thace."

"Fine, fine." His last ditch effort pushed aside, Thace sat down and leaned against the belly of his Bronze. Lundil huffed and curled the end of his long tail around his partner. Thace began to absently stroke it when he saw that Lance was going to choose to remain standing.

"Roco was Weyrwoman for more than twelve turns before her.... passing. For the eight turns before that, it was a woman by the name of Romelle.

"Romelle was a beauty. She had this beautiful flaming hair that was even brighter than her Gold in the right light. She was also a real spitfire with a lot of personality. You just knew she was going to do great things when you saw her. She was braver than any other woman I've ever met. When Thread fell, she refused to stay safe inside the Weyr. She wanted to be out there fighting it. Even before she was Weyrwoman she was always getting into trouble."

Thace had a fond look on his face as he spoke about this woman that Lance had never heard of. When Ruco had taken over as Weyrwoman here, he had only been a boy. Plus, being under the guard of a totally different Weyr, he wouldn't have been privy to the knowledge of what had happened in the first place. Lance wouldn't be surprised if he went back to Terran to see his family and they had no idea he had been moved Weyrs and was now a Weyrwoman himself. Gossip just didn't travel.

Still, Thace must have cared a lot for this woman. It made Lance's chest hurt with a powerful push of sympathy before the older man continued.

"The Weyrwoman before her retired, her Gold was getting too old to Fly, and Romelle's Blisith was the first Gold to take Flight after. We had two Goldriders waiting in the wings at the time, Romelle and a woman named Haggar. She had been sent to us from Altea to keep the diversity of the breeding Golds up. At the time we had enough extra Goldriders to do such things.

"So Blisith Flew first, and it was my Lundil that Caught her, so that was my first time as Weyrleader. I was... very happy. For more than just being in charge." Thace sounded delicate for a moment before he cleared his throat and glanced back up.

"Haggar wasn't happy with this. She was never a very.... good woman. She kept her dalliances open and used her position as a Goldrider to get her way. That woman ruined her dragon, too. It was a shame she was Impressed at all. She was just very crafty or used her words to weasel her way out of punishment.

"The first incident happened about three turns into myself and Romelle leading Balmera. The two of us had a lovely son the turn before. A bouncing ball of sunshine we named Lotor. He... went missing shortly after his first nameday. We _knew_ that Haggar was behind it but we couldn't prove anything. She got away with disposing of our child and we couldn't even punish her for it!

"Romelle grew depressed after that. The birth had been very complicated. She wasn't able to have any more children after Lotor. I'm not sure she would have tried even if she could have. She was that heartbroken over it.

"Haggar took every chance she could to try and undermine us or take personal jabs at Romelle to break her spirit, but still we couldn't do more than slap her on the wrist for it. Being a Goldrider is a very powerful privilege. Anyone who rides one is very lucky.

"But....." Thace closed his eyes. Lance hadn't realized he was leaning in, eager to hear more, until Thace stopped his story. The other man looked exhausted. What had happened here, even thought Lance didn't have the full picture yet, he could see why Thace was the way he was. Part of why he was cold to everyone. Even if he was still Weyrleader he had lost everything but his dragon up to this point. It didn't make how Thace acted right, but it was understandable now.

"But?"

"Haggar didn't get her real revenge, and the punishment she so rightfully deserved, until the very last time that Blisith took Flight. Golds are never supposed to Fly at the same time. Never. As a Goldrider you should know why. They get violent and territorial. They fight anything that has a chance of ruining their breeding. If one of the Greens here had tried it when Azul Flew, you know as well as I do that she would have killed it without mercy. It's just what Golds do.

"That _bitch_ found some way to hold off her own Gold's Flight until it was synced up with Blisith's. Then when Blisith Rose, she let her own Fly. It was... a bloodbath. The two tore each other apart. They couldn't even go Between. We had to haul the bodies to the south and leave them in a field to rot. They deserved so much better than that.

"Romelle... couldn't take it. Two days later she took her own life. I don't blame her. I couldn't live with myself if Lundil died. Could you live if Azul passed away?" Thace stared at him for a moment. Before Lance could answer, do more than feel the hard lump of fear that formed in his chest when the thought of Azul _not being there_ as it passed through his mind, Thace had moved on. "Haggar claimed it was an accident. She still lived, as if her dragon _dying_ didn't even bother her! There was a gold egg on the sands at Altea at the time. She wanted to go back and try to Impress it to 'ease her straining heart'.

"I wasn't about to let that happen. I had had enough of her. I banished her right then. I really wanted her head, but the council wouldn't allow it. She was shipped to the south and was told she could never step foot anywhere the Weyrs ruled again or she would be killed on the spot. They found her body a few weeks later. I didn't see the body myself, but... I trusted who saw it. She's dead.

"Before she left, she promised she would get revenge on us all. That she would make us pay for what we had done to her. A dead woman can't do anything, though, can she?"

It was quiet between them for a long time. Lance was pensive as he thought about what he had been told. All of this was new to him. A shock, really. You would think something like that would be used as a warning in Goldrider lessons, or would have been mentioned in Coran's history leathers.

"Lance. One more thing." Glancing back up, Lance saw that Thace was standing again. He was back to his carefully stony features, standing tall and straight, but Lance could have sworn there was something more grave in his eyes.

* * *

The incident with Floroma bothered Keith. To the point that, after a great deal of searching and organizing, he carefully read over the servant records again for as far back as he could find. There was a very drastic change from just a turn ago. A great chunk of drudges were missing that had been there in the report before it. The number got lower and lower until now, when it was less than half of what it had once been.

This spurned Keith to action. He left to do some investigating of his own. It was hard to not draw attention to himself, especially since he didn't know his way around, but he found that tucking the crest on his leathers downwards to hide it meant that people were less likely to stare. Even if the whole Weyr knew he was the leader by now and could figure out he was a rider, he still hadn't done a formal address to show everyone what he looked like. He could have just been a visiting rider.

The kitchen was his first stop. Slinking around in drudge's paths for a better part of his life made it easier for him to spot them. They were meant to be away from the prying eyes of the public like they were a dirty secret. Keith knew what to look for. It was easy for him to see the partially hidden holes in the walls, as if the people using them weren't good enough to walk in the same light as everyone else.

Keith busied himself by a stone fire oven that was baking some type of flatbreads on the sides. A technique that Keith had never performed himself but he knew the result would be delicious. The people working inside were tense at seeing him but eventually they relaxed enough to overlook him. There was too much hustle and bustle to be done, after all, to notice one out of place character in the kitchen.

But even as Keith made sure the coals of the fire stayed hot, he kept a sharp eye out on those around him. It didn't take very long for him to recognize a few faces. Even if he didn't know names, Palgan would tell him about the dragon that looked on them. All Greens.

Mouth tight, Keith took the chance to slip into the servant's hallway when no one was looking. It was damp, tight and dark; he had to hunch over in the narrow space to keep from hitting his head on the ceiling. Moving quickly but carefully, he came out at the next available open shaft. It was a little cranny that led to the bowl. Keith saw many riders bustling about but nothing else of interest. He went back inside.

It wasn't long after Keith found a branching path. One way curved deep and down into the ground. The other sloped upwards. There was some commotion echoing from the upper path so Keith didn't hesitate to go towards it. Not long later he was let out of the tunnels and into what might have been the Bronzerider wing. It seemed empty, and for good reason, this time of the day. However, in one of the side rooms he could hear a man's voice yelling loud and angry at someone.

Creeping to the door, Keith peeked inside. It was a Bronzerider he didn't know the name of but he had seen around before. A slimy little man with a round belly. He was standing over a young man, 'Ignac's' was what Palgan provided, as he picked up bits of bread and other foods off the floor with shaking fingers. He was berating him for all he was worth. The boy on the floor didn't look that much older than fourteen, but he had the leathers of a rider on. A Greenrider like many of the other riders in places they should not be he had seen.

The Bronzerider suddenly kicked the boy hard in the stomach, making him drop the food and double over with a pitiful cry. Keith reacted before he even thought about it. As soon as the kick landed, Keith was in the room and hauled off to punch the other rider as hard as he could in the face. It landed with a dull thump, making the shocked Bronzerider fall on his ass.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Keith barked as he stood over him. Anger still boiled hot and fizzling in his stomach. He wanted to reach out and choke the other man. It took everything in him to not do just that. The other man recovered quickly enough, snarling as he got back to his feet. He put himself right in Keith's space, breathing hard so the dark haired man had to smell his putrid breath. His lip was bleeding and nose might have been at a more crooked angle than before.

"What do you think _you're_ doing? This is my room and I'll do whatever the shards I want in it!" Keith grit his teeth and he heard Palgan roar back in his mind. The other Bronze had taken issue with his rider being attacked, but Keith pressed back into his mind that he had had the right to punch him. And Palgan was the top Bronze now, so he could make this 'Alunts' bow to him if he really wanted.

_Palgan was the top Bronze._

"Stand down." Keith hissed it out. The other man snarled back as if disgusted.

"You have no authority." He lifted his hands as if he was going to hit Keith, but the dark haired man grabbed the other man by the front of his leathers and jostled him before he could. He couldn't help the almost savage smirk that came over his face as he pulled the man close, nose to nose with him now.

"I'm your _Weyrleader_. I have _all_ the authority." Keith spat this in the man's face before he shoved him back. The other man was almost deathly pale now, eyes bulging as it sunk in what Keith had said. Keith ignored him in lieu of turning to the boy on the floor. He was staring at the scene with wide and terrified eyes. Keith offered his hand and the boy, who took it. Keith pulled him to his feet and led him out of the room.

"Are you okay?" They were halfway down the hallway, the regular one and not the hidden passage, when Keith finally thought that maybe he should speak. It was more a gentle nudge from Palgan, who had since calmed down after reigning in the other Bronze dragon. The boy looked up at him, mystified, before nodding.

"Thank you." The boy looked back at the floor. He looked pensive, a face much too serious for his young face. Had this been what Shiro had seen the day he found Keith at Galra? "Are you really there Weyrleader?"

"Yeah. I'm Keith. Nice to meet you." Keith flexed his hand. The knuckles were tight and sore from where he had punched the other Bronzerider. It would be alright soon enough. He had punched plenty of people before.

"It's nice to meet you, too, sir."

Silence.

Keith wasn't sure how to proceed. He had so many questions, things he needed to know about and ways he could possibly make this better. There wasn't a doubt in his mind now that whatever had happened to the respect for the Greenriders here he needed to fix. He just couldn't fathom how it had gotten this way, especially this bad, without the other Weyrs noticing.

But.... in the same point, Keith tried to think when the last time he had even seen a Balmeran Greenrider was. On business or not, he was pretty sure it had been back when Thread was falling. As far as he knew, Hunk was courting a Greenrider named 'Shay' here, so why had he never mentioned it? Did he not know? For a long while, Hunk had practically lived at this Weyr. There was no way the Brownrider couldn't have noticed.

Even with all this raging in his mind, Keith couldn't bring himself to speak. The boy was too quiet and tense. He must have expected Keith to take back what he had done and double the punishment on top of him. He didn't want to scare the boy. A bit of sympathy made him keep his mouth shut.

Then the boy turned a corner and they separated. Keith didn't see where he went off to, but he also didn't try and stop him. There was too much left for him to investigate. First things first was that Keith needed to find Lance.

If Lance knew about any of this Keith see to it that he paid for keeping quiet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> originally this chapter was gunna be longer, but i cut it a little short so it would end with Keith. next chapter will be a longer one, too, to make up for that, and it'll start with Lance! then it will be back to the regular scheduled program lol.
> 
> Look at this beautiful fanart by @hiranadira on Twitter![It's cute ad perfect!](https://twitter.com/hiranadira/status/825762134789283840) I cried when I saw it. I'm such a baby. ;;
> 
> If any of you ever want to share anything with me, I'm always open on [my tumblr](http://ancientnapdragon.tumblr.com/). I don't mind just chatting, too! I promise I don't bite. c:
> 
> Some people asked me if Keith and Lance are gunna do the horizontal tango again, and my answer is a solid ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ A lot is gunna happen in the story that won't allow close personal time like that, so if they do it'll be more towards the end? Idk man. I guess it would be a nice way for the two of them to end out the story lol.
> 
> i have a small nod to a friend's fic in this chapter, can anyone find it? ; )
> 
> one last thing! i've decided that i'm going to go back re-edit some of the earlier chapters. some of them are kind of clunky in places i think, now that i've read back. nothing will be changed, but i want to make it flow a little better and get rid of the silly mistakes that i've missed. which, if you see anything weird with this or other chapters, tell me and i'll fix them!


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